NWLC issues statement about Maine Title IX investigation

Washington, DC (March 6) – The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) found Maine’s Department of Education to be in violation of Title IX because of the state’s inclusion of trans students in school sports. This decision came after Maine Gov. Janet Mills stood up to President Trump and refused to comply with the administration’s lawless executive order seeking to ban trans students from sports.

Shiwali Patel, senior director for safe and inclusive schools, issued the following statement in response:

“HHS’s determination against the Maine Department of Education clearly and plainly violates Title IX. It is part of the Trump administration’s attempt to eliminate transgender people from public life by narrowly defining sex to target anyone who falls outside of gender stereotypes. And everyone is at risk when the government attempts to control and scrutinize our bodies. 

“Blatantly discriminating against transgender and intersex women and girls will only worsen conditions for all young athletes. Instead of solving actual gender inequities in sports, these kinds of sports bans invite harassment of any woman or girl who doesn’t match someone else’s idea of how they should look, dress, style their hair, or play sports. The Trump administration is wasting federal resources to investigate manufactured problems and scare schools into further marginalizing vulnerable students, rather than protecting everyone as they are obligated by law. We applaud leaders who are fighting against these dangerous precedents.”