It’s an astonishing turnaround for a civil rights investigation at the Education Department, which often takes months or years to resolve cases. The Trump administration has pushed harder and faster to punish alleged violators, in some cases drawing accusations that it’s bypassing due process procedures required by law.
The proposed resolution would require Maine’s schools to forbid transgender girls from participating in any sports program or using any locker room or bathroom designated for girls. It would also force the state to accept the Trump administration’s definition of sex as male or female only.
The state would be required to revoke individual awards and honors won by transgender girls and give them to athletes who otherwise would have won. The state would have to issue a formal apology to those athletes “for allowing her educational experience and participation in school sports to be marred by sex discrimination,” the Education Department said.
A separate announcement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture said the University of Maine system appears to be in compliance with Trump’s orders on transgender athletes and will continue receiving money from the agency. The USDA said it began investigating the issue last month but the system responded saying it does not allow transgender athletes in women’s sports.