University of Maine System falls in line with Trump's prohibition on men in women's sports

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on Feb. 22 that it had "initiated a compliance review of the University of Maine following the State of Maine's blatant disregard for President Trump's Executive Order 14201, Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports."

Weeks later, the University of Maine System, which consists of seven universities and a law school, revealed that its funding from the USDA has been temporarily paused pending a review of its compliance with Title IX and Title IV, which ban sex and race-based discrimination.

The USDA announced Wednesday that the UMS has fallen in line with President Donald Trump's directive to keep men out of women's sports but coupled the news of restored funding with a threat: "Any false claim by the UMaine can, and will, result in onerous and even potentially criminal financial liability."

'The choice for the rest of Maine is simple.'

Compliance apparently meant the UMS confirming to the Trump administration that it does not permit male athletes to identify as females in order to establish individual eligibility for National Collegiate Athletic Association-sanctioned women's sports; that it does not permit men to participate in individual or team contact sports with women; and that it complies with NCAA regulations, specifically the prohibition on male student athletes participating in NCAA-sanctioned women's sports.

"UMaine's decision to side with sanity is a win for women and girls in Maine," the agency said in a statement. "The choice for the rest of Maine is simple: protect equal opportunities for women, as required by law, or lose funding."

The agency previously indicated that it has funded the University of Maine to the tune of $100 million in recent years.

According to the UMS, the University of Maine received nearly $30 million in USDA awards for research and various initiatives in fiscal year 2024. The Portland Press Herald indicated that the UMS has $56.1 million in active USDA grants.

UMS Chancellor Dannel Malloy expressed confusion when the funding was first paused, claiming that the university system had already complied with the administration's rules and requests. The Maine Morning Star indicated Malloy sang the same tune Wednesday when the USDA made its announcement.

"The University of Maine System has always maintained its compliance with state and federal laws and with NCAA rules," Malloy said in a statement, adding he is "relieved to put the Department’s Title IX compliance review behind us."

'We will not allow men to beat up, injure, and cheat our women and our girls.'

Whereas the USDA had good news for the UMS, the Department of Health and Human Service's Civil Rights Office put other Maine institutions in the dog house, declaring that the Maine Department of Education, the Main Principal's Association, and Greely High School were each in violation of Title IX for enabling men to compete in women's sports.

A subpar male athlete from Greely High School in Cumberland stole first place in the girls' pole-vault competition at the Maine Indoor Track Meet on Feb. 17. This was possible only because the Maine ED told schools in the state to defy Trump's executive order banning male transvestites from competing in girls' or women's sports. The Maine Principals' Association followed suit.

"The Maine Department of Education may not shirk its obligations under Federal law by ceding control of its extracurricular activities, programs, and services to the Maine Principals' Association," Anthony Archeval, acting director of the Office for Civil Rights at HHS, said in a statement. "We hope the Maine Department of Education, the Maine Principals' Association, and Greely High School will work with us to come to an agreement that restores fairness in women's sports."

When Trump signed his executive order banning male transvestites from competing in girls' or women's sports, he stated, "Under the Trump administration, we will defend the proud tradition of female athletes, and we will not allow men to beat up, injure, and cheat our women and our girls."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!