Maine legislature rejects bill to keep trans athletes out of girls' sports amid growing conflict on issue

The U.S. Department of Justice has launched a lawsuit against the state for refusing to sign an agreement to keep girls' sports for females only. A federal judge on Tuesday set a trial date of April 1, 2026, for that lawsuit. 

Prominent Maine Republican lawmaker Laurel Libby, who has emerged as a central figure in the state's battle over the issue, criticized the Democrat majority for not passing the bill in a post on X Friday. 

"It is clear that biological reality and the will of Maine people have no bearing on the decisions made in the Maine legislature, as the Democrat majority just voted to allow biological males to continue to dominate in girls' sports and invade girls' spaces," Libby wrote. 

Athletes and women's rights activists had been lobbying for the state to pass bills banning trans athletes from girls' sports for months. 

Back in early May, multiple girls' athletes marched on August to testify before the state legislature in support of three bills on the issue including LD114 and similar bills LD 868 and LD 233.

Cheney's teammate Carrlyn Buck said that when the Democrats did come to them with questions, they seemed "hostile." 

"They just seemed more hostile toward our testimonies when they did ask questions," Buck said. "It felt like a lot of questions were being pestering." 

The DOJ has accused the state of "openly and defiantly flouting federal anti-discrimination law by enforcing policies that require girls to compete against boys in athletic competitions designated exclusively for girls," according to a complaint obtained by Fox News Digital.

Governor Janet Mills, the Maine Department of Education and the Maine Principals' Association have held firmly in support of continuing to enable trans inclusion in girls' sports across the state, citing the Maine Human Rights Act as the precedent for determining gender eligibility. 

Meanwhile, two Maine school districts have already taken matters into their own hands, as MSAD No. 70 and RSU No. 24 have each moved to amend their own policies to keep trans athletes out of girls' sports. 

The poll also found that 60% of residents would support a ballot measure limiting participation in women's and girls' sports to biological females. This included 64% of independents and 66% of parents with kids under age 18.

But so far, the governor has remained firm in opposing Trump on the issue, even at the cost of taxpayer-funded legal fees. 

"I'm happy to go to court and litigate the issues that are being raised in this court complaint," Mills told reporters in April.