U.S. Attorney General (AG) Pam Bondi, joined by women’s sports advocate Riley Gaines, Maine Rep. Laurel Libby (R-Auburn), Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, and two Maine female athletes who lost opportunities to male students, announced a lawsuit against Maine on Wednesday morning for refusing to bar men from women’s sports.
“We believe they are failing to protect women, and it’s not only an issue in sports, it is a public safety issue. These boys are allowed to go in women’s restrooms, they are allowed to go in the women’s dressing rooms and get fully naked and change, biological boys, and change clothes in front of theses young women,” said AG Bondi.
“Maine’s leadership has refused to comply at every turn, so now we have no other choice, we are taking them to court,” she added.
Bondi’s lawsuit will seek a federal injunction against Maine to compel the state to comply and will seek to have the winning titles returned to the girls who lost in competitions to male athletes.
She also said that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is considering retroactively pulling all the funding that Maine received while refusing to comply with Donald Trump’s executive order “Keeping Men out of Women’s Sports.”
The order established the current administration’s interpretation of Title IX anti-discrimination laws that considers it a violation for males to be allowed in women’s sports.
The Maine Wire reached out to Maine AG Aaron Frey, asking him for a comment on the federal lawsuit, but his office did not immediately respond. Later on Wednesday morning, Gov. Mills issued the following statement:
“This matter has never been about school sports or the protection of women and girls … it is about states’ rights and defending the rule of law against a federal government bent on imposing its will.”
What Mills’ response did not take into account is the federal actions have now gone beyond the question of school sports.
During her speech, Bondi also alluded to the DOJ’s action against the Maine Department of Corrections for putting female inmates at risk by allowing violent male offenders to be housed in women’s prisons because the inmates claimed to identify as transgender. So far, it has frozen non-essential funds to Maine prisons.
McMahon joined Bondi in condemning Maine’s refusal to comply with federal law and called out Gov. Janet Mills (D-Maine) for her now-infamous exchange with President Trump, in which she told the president that she would see him in court rather than comply with federal law.
“We want to make sure that if you open women’s sports or intimate facilities to males you expose yourself to federal rights [sic], federal civil rights investigation, Gov. Mills will definitely get her wish,” said McMahon
Bondi invited Rep. Libby to speak to a national audience about her state’s discriminatory policies, and pointed out that Libby was previously silenced and censured by Democrats in the Maine House for a Facebook post drawing attention to the issue that featured the picture of a transgender-identifying male athlete standing victorious over high school girls at a sporting event.
“Governor Mills and legislative Democrats along with the Maine Principals Association (MPA) continue to persist in discriminating against Maine women and girls. They are out of alignment with two-thirds of Mainers who believe that biological males have no place in girl’s sports,” said Libby.
Libby also praised the Hodgdon school district (MSAD 70), whose board voted unanimously on Monday to adopt the federal government’s interpretation of Title IX, in defiance of state authorities, becoming the first school board in the state to do so.
“Earlier this week, the MSAD [Maine School Administrative District] 70 school board voted unanimously to align with title IX. They are in alignment with two-thirds of my fellow Mainers,” said Libby.
Two Maine high school girls who have been negatively impacted by their state’s decision to allow males into their locker rooms, restrooms, and sports also spoke at the press conference.
“My first experience was when I was 13 years old. I was going to change for gym and I walked into the locker room and there was a biological male there. From that point on, my junior year, I competed in Nordic skiing and lost to a biological male,” said Presque Isle student Cassidy Carlisle.
“Even though my own governor isn’t fighting for me, I know there are people out there fighting for me,” she added.
“I had to watch at the Maine class B state indoor track championship as my close friend and my teammate and other female competitors lost the state championship to a biological male. And this was heartbreaking for me to have to watch,” said Fairfield’s Zoe Hutchins.
“It is the job of our elected officials to protect our young female athletes, and they have failed to do that,” she added.
The DOJ’s lawsuit comes after numerous warnings from both the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), urging Maine to comply with federal law or face a loss of funding and potential legal action.
Nevertheless, Maine has obstinately refused, even suing the USDA for the return of federal funding rescinded based on the state’s violation of Title IX.
While Maine has become a national flashpoint for the issue of transgender-identifying male athletes competing against girls, it is not the only state facing potential legal action for refusing to comply with the president’s order.
According to Bondi, California and Minnesota are the next states in the crosshairs of the DOJ for their refusal to comply.
Watch the full press conference here.
This will be Aaron Frey’s fifteen minutes of fame , and Maine’s lifetime of humiliation .
All caused by a group of queer transvestite activist groups who think only about themselves .
This is nothing short of disgraceful that our “ governor “ stands by and let’s this happen .
The queers are in control .
I hope the federal government withholds EVERY penny from the State of Maine .
Every penny .
Great news, more taxpayer money wasted by this administration. Are there any other EO’s that Mills has ignored or is this the only one?
“There’s nothing we can do, Its the law” That’s what mayorkas said about immigration. He was lying and mills is lying.
Well Janet certainly got her wish to proceed to federal court.
I hope you’re ready!
I’ll say it for the people of Maine.
Kiss this for good luck.
Don’t be bashful!
Pucker up big boy!
The UK Supreme Court just ruled that legal definition of women is based on biological sex…this will have rippling effect on USA and Maine’s stance. Toad Mills and her ugly Marxist ilk are in for it now. Jill went up the Hill and all the Marxist ilk Dems came tumbling down. Her crown’s knocked off. The End!
I don’t think that Bondi will win on the prison issue for three reasons.
1: For nearly 50 years, Maine has (a) let women be guards in Men’s prisons and (b) allowed them to meet reduced physical fitness requirements.
2: There is nothing in Title IX that precludes coed prisons.
3: The Prison Rape Elimination Act (and related US DOJ guidance) essentially mandates putting tranny prisoners into women’s prisons.
Mr. Ed says: We shall see, also contrary to what people pretending to be doctors say there is no mention of transgender in the PREA 2003. He is a wise horse, well beyond his years.
It’s absurd that the Democrats won’t back down on this issue. I’ve never seen such idiocy and stupidity on an issue that is so simple and straightforward. It’s an 80-20 issue! What party takes on an 80-20 issue, let alone one so insensical?? The Dems are so lost that they need to make everything an issue to fight against the white straight Christians. They first tried to make themselves for women, and then for gays, and then for African-Americans, and now for delusional men who think they’re women.
And throughout all this, they have thrown the women under the bus. They are so desperate for votes to keep them in power that they try to win over groups and then kick out the other. Throughout this they have put their heads so far in their toilets, that they can’t think straight (probably why they are now trying to win over the people who aren’t straight). Now they have alienated themselves through their idiotic policies and stupid social goals.
Trannys are explicitly mentioned as a “vulnerable population” in the Prison Rape Elimination Act — but I have yet to find anything that explicitly gives women a right to a sex segregated prison.
Toadie mills talking about states rights? Okay, let’s do what South Carolina did in 1861, secede from the union! Maine can become the first lgbtqia country, all the mo’s welcome! C’mon man!
So women being jailed with men are in no danger of rape? These disgusting tranny demons need to do their time where they belong….in jail with horny, large, and violent men.
Bingo. Our great governor deserves that. Mainers wake up, enough of liberal stupidity.
But isn’t everybody considered vulnerable persons, including the woman in the prison. You got to draw the line somewhere. Alas, this bill was spearheaded by babbling j biden so I guess “vulnerable persons” could mean anything, dog, train, rock, corn pop. That horse is wise.
The reason the democrats passed the anti-rape-prison-law was as an insurance policy. They knew that one day the chickens would come home to roost and brother that day has come. They weren’t thinking about transvestites, they were thinking about themselves, as always.
Maybe Janet Mills and all her transgender friends can start a go fund me for the school lunches kids aren’t going to get any longer ….LOL
I hope Trump stops every last penny in federal aid to the state of Maine .
Every penny .
We will pay for this arrogant cocooned moron’s waste of taxpayers’ money. I hope Ethan & Company move back to NYC where they belong.
U go Pam!
Bring the thunder to these liberal idiots in Maine!
Oh now we are going to hear about the poor children, they won’t get enough to eat, we must cut the music program, no more art classes, have you ever heard of the teachers taking a cut? Never happens! What a racket they have, the biggest scam artists in the state! Anybody remember how they abandoned their students when Covid hit? Oh it’s all about the children, Bullshit! C’mon man!
“…putting female inmates at risk by allowing violent male offenders to be housed in women’s prisons…”
Cite the Federal law or regulation that says Maine can’t do this.
Cite the Federal law or regulation that says Maine can’t have coed prisons.
I’m not saying this is a good idea, but that doesn’t matter — Bondi has to have an actual Federal law or regulation which this violates, and I don’t think she has one.
Boys on the girls team is different because, arguably, there are regulations being violated.
But in terms of prisons — no.
And if you want to go to Bondi’s own regulations, the DoJ states that trannies are a “vulnerable population” who should NOT be in a men’s prision. That’s Bondi’s own regulations saying that, so I really don’t think she will win on this.
And as to “putting at risk”, there are some very violent lesbians in the women’s prisons…
<I>”also contrary to what people pretending to be doctors say there is no mention of transgender in the PREA 2003″/i>
Someone hasn’t read the DoJ regs relative to this.
Soimeone doesn’t know that it isn’t what is in the actual text of the law, but instead what is in the regulations that matters because that is what the government says the law means.
And the implementing regulations state that trannies are a vulnerable population.
*I* didn’t write that — the US Dept of Justice did. And until they recind it, that is the official policy of the US Government.
Good Ole Janet will go down fighting by the Jesus! Wasting taxpayers money to keep tranny boys in girls sports ,lockerooms and bathrooms ! Ain’t she just spoon special! Making mainers so proud 🤮🤮🤮🤡🤡
I’m saddened by the fact that children have to take up the fight against wickedness, they should not have to be placed in that position, it is the duty of adults to protect them. I am proud of them, at that age it takes a lot courage to stand in front of a crowd, I for one will work much harder at doing my part to protect them. “Evil triumphs when good men do nothing”, these demonic individuals need to be voted out of office, over 80% of our fellow citizens are against males in women’s sports, that needs to be shown in the voting both.
Dr Ed, Somehow I do not think you would be pleased to find a young lady that you might know who is to be imprisoned in the same cell at the 230 pound man, Balcer, who knifed his Mother and Father to death in cold blood.
I’m not from Maine, but when are you people going to STOP voting for these communist democrats? It’s beyond belief. There should not be one democrat in power in any state or federal government position. Vote them out!