JACKSON THOMPSON: Maine girls speak out about facing trans athlete as state grapples with issue
Two Maine high school girls describe "crushing disappointment" competing against transgender athletes as their attorney files a Title IX complaint.
TL;DR
- Two Maine high school girls, Reagan Wilson and Morgan Clark, have spoken out against competing against transgender athletes.
- They described experiencing "crushing disappointment" and a loss of equal opportunity in sports.
- An attorney for the girls is filing a federal Title IX civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Education.
- The complaint targets the Maine Department of Education, Maine Principals’ Association, and school districts in Windham and South Portland.
- Organizers are also working to get a referendum on the ballot to base sports eligibility on sex recorded at birth.
- Maine's existing policies, defended by state officials and the MPA, cite the Maine Human Rights Act and allow transgender students to compete based on gender identity or birth sex.
- The U.S. Education Department previously found Maine in Title IX noncompliance regarding transgender participation in girls' sports.