President Donald J. Trump appears over a photo of Maine high school swimmers diving into a pool. (Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald via Getty | Trump-Vance Transition Team)
While the NCAA revised its guidelines around transgender participation in sports, Maine is one of a handful of states that have said they will continue to allow transgender women to compete on women's sports teams in accordance with its state laws.
Trump's executive order instructed all federal agencies to review grants, programs and policies that fail to comply with the administration's efforts to end "male competitive participation in women’s sports… as a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth." The order also instructs strict Title IX enforcement against any educational institutions or athletic associations that do not comply, and demands federal assistance be taken away in such cases.
"Many sport-specific governing bodies have no official position or requirements regarding trans-identifying athletes. Others allow men to compete in women’s categories if these men reduce the testosterone in their bodies below certain levels or provide documentation of ‘sincerely held’ gender identity," Trump's executive order states. "These policies are unfair to female athletes and do not protect female safety."
Protesters rally in support of protections for transgender youth. (Mark Kerrison/In Pictures via Getty Images)
Perry noted that besides the obvious risk of losing funding, these states also open themselves up to federal Title IX investigations, something she said could potentially force them to comply with Trump's demands.
"The executive order of women's sports specifically says that the secretary of education is going to convene, in conjunction with Attorney General Pam Bondi, all affirmative action in all the states to make sure that there is compliance, and for those schools that do not comply, to prioritize first Title IX legal enforcement actions against those educational institutions, including athletic associations, that are composed of or governed by those particular schools," Perry said.
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"They're welcome to follow state law in light of contrary federal law," Perry continued. "But my guess is, the minute that these investigations and the purse strings start to close, this is going to be a completely different story in a short period of time."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/maine-sports-governing-body-says-trans-athletes-can-still-compete-womens-sports-despite-trump-order