The Trump government sued Maine on Wednesday (16), intensifying its conflict with the state for refusing to ban the participation of transgender athletes in women’s sports.
The government claims in the action that Maine is violating title 9, which offers legal protection against sexual discrimination by allowing transgender athletes to participate in women’s sports.
The process cites two cases where Girls trans won women’s competitions, including a rod -jump athlete who won the State Athletics Championship in February.
Asked on Wednesday if it was worth using department resources to process the maine because of two athletes, US Attorney General Pam Bondi replied: “I don’t care if it’s one. I don’t care if they are two. I don’t care if it’s 100.”
Bondi said the department is also investigating transgender issues in other states, including Minnesota and California.
Maine governor Janet Mills said in a statement on Wednesday that the process is an example of US President Donald Trump’s attempt to impose her will on state governments.
“This issue has never been about school sports or the protection of women and girls, as it was alleged, but about state rights and the defense of the rule of law against a federal government committed to imposing its will rather than defending the law,” Mills said.
“May this day be alert to all states: Maine may be among the first to attract the wrath of the federal government in this way, but we will not be the last.”
Transgender athletes were frequent targets of Trump’s criticism during the campaign. The president signed a decree banning trans athletes from competing in women’s sports. He conflicted with Mills, a Democrat on the subject at a White House meeting in February.
Advocates of Trump’s action claim that it protects the impartiality of competition, while critics say it excludes young transgender people from important physical and social activities.
In a statement, LGBT Glaad Defense Group criticized the lawsuit.
“This contributes nothing to improve education or offer girls opportunities in sports,” he said. “All students and schools are safer when the most vulnerable students are protected and respected.”
Most Americans do not support trans athletes competing in women’s sports, according to research.
Only 26% of interviewees in a February Reuters/IPSS survey agreed that they should compete in elementary and high school, 55% oppose and the rest is not sure.
Only 19% supported the idea of trans women competing in elite women’s sports, such as college, the Olympics and in professional alloys, and 65% opposed.
Maine is expected to have competitive disputes in the House and Senate in next year’s middle-year elections, which will help determine Congress control.
Funding
The lawsuit occurs five days after the government tried to cut all federal funding to Maine’s public schools and their school lunch program because of the issue.
The USA Department of Agriculture (USDA) notified Maine on April 2 on the freezing of school meals financing, citing violations of title 9.
A district court judge temporarily banned the USDA from cutting back after Maine sued the federal government.
On April 2, the Department of Education announced that it was cutting US $ 250 million into funds for public elementary and high school education as part of an administrative process.
On April 7, the Justice Department also removed more than $ 1.5 billion in federal subsidies of the correction department.
Maine Assistant Attorney General Sarah Forster informed the US Department of Education in an April 11 letter that “nothing in title 9 or their implementation regulations prohibits schools from allowing trans girls and women to participate in women’s sports teams.”
“Your letters so far do not cite a single case that sustains it,” she wrote.
This content was originally published in the US process Maine in case of transgender athletes on the CNN Brazil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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