Athlete criticizes Maine transgender sports activities coverage as DOJ information Title IX lawsuit

[ad_1] A highschool athlete in Maine is talking out towards state insurance policies that permit transgender athletes to compete in ladies’s sports activities.

Cassidy Carlisle, a cross-country skier, says she’s witnessed the results of such insurance policies firsthand. She recalled an incident from center faculty when she encountered a transgender scholar within the women’ locker room.

"As a 13-year-old woman, while you stroll within the locker room and see a organic male standing there, that’s one thing you'll be able to’t put into phrases," Carlisle mentioned on " America Reports " Wednesday.

"I knew one thing was incorrect in that second."

Carlisle says she reported the incident to high school directors on the time, however the expertise caught along with her. Now, she’s talking publicly to advocate for what she calls equity and security for feminine athletes.

"It doesn’t matter if it’s one or 100, you take alternatives away from females. And that’s not proper," she mentioned.

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Carlisle’s feedback come because the U.S. Department of Justice announced a lawsuit towards the state of Maine. The go well with alleges the state is violating Title IX by permitting transgender athletes to compete in women’ sports activities, defying an govt order from President Donald Trump geared toward proscribing such participation.

Legal professional Basic Pam Bondi speaks throughout a information convention on the Division of Justice headquarters in Washington, Wednesday, April 16, 2025. (AP Picture/Jose Luis Magana)

"The Division of Justice is not going to sit by when ladies are discriminated towards in sports activities," mentioned Legal professional Basic Pam Bondi at a press convention Wednesday.

Maine Governor Janet Mills responded strongly to the lawsuit, defending the state’s place.

"Right this moment is the most recent, anticipated salvo in an unprecedented marketing campaign to strain the State of Maine to disregard the Structure and abandon the rule of regulation," Mills mentioned in a written assertion.

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"This matter has by no means been about faculty sports activities or the safety of girls and women, as has been claimed, it's about states' rights and defending the rule of regulation towards a federal authorities bent on imposing its will, as an alternative of upholding the regulation."

"Let at this time function warning to all states: Maine is perhaps among the many first to attract the ire of the Federal authorities on this method, however we is not going to be the final," she added.

Carlisle, nevertheless, pushed again on the governor's declare, saying the problem is finally about defending younger ladies.

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"It’s all about woman athletes. And if it’s not, the truth that you're keen to struggle that struggle and put your feminine athletes at jeopardy is heartbreaking," she mentioned.

US President Donald Trump indicators the No Males in Ladies's Sports activities Govt Order into regulation within the East Room of the White Home in Washington, DC, on February 5, 2025. President Trump on Wednesday is signing an govt order to ban transgender women and girls from competing on sports activities groups that match their gender identification, marking his newest transfer focusing on transgender rights. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)

Carlisle says she and different activists aren't talking out about this problem for them, however for future feminine athletes.

"You realize it isn't about me," mentioned Carlisle. "It is concerning the generations to come back and that we're defending them."

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The Justice Division argues Maine's insurance policies violate federal anti-discrimination regulation by requiring women to compete towards boys in some athletic occasions.

An investigation by Secretary of Education Linda McMahon’s division concluded Maine was in violation of Title IX. That investigation led to the matter being referred to the DOJ.

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The lawsuit follows a separate authorized battle between Maine and the U.S. Division of Agriculture (USDA), which had frozen federal funding over the state’s transgender athlete coverage. Maine sued the USDA, accusing it of withholding funds that help meals at faculties, childcare facilities, and applications for disabled adults. A federal decide has since ordered the funding to be restored.

The DOJ’s newest motion additionally stems from a high-profile conflict in February between President Trump and Governor Mills at a White Home assembly. Their dispute over transgender athletes ended with each side declaring, " See you in court ."