The University of Maine System is playing it safe—and playing along. The public university network confirmed it’s now officially aligned with Donald Trump’s recent executive order that bans transgender women and girls from competing in female sports. In doing so, Maine’s largest higher education body has made it clear: federal funding trumps inclusivity.
The announcement came after the Trump administration accused the university of violating Title IX, the landmark law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally funded educational programs. The U.S. Department of Agriculture threatened to cut off nearly $30 million in funding unless the university bent the knee.
And bend it did.
“We are relieved to put the Department’s Title IX compliance review behind us,” said Dannel Malloy, the system’s chancellor. Translation? They’re happy to keep the cash flowing—at the cost of trans student-athletes’ right to compete.
Trans Students Pay the Price
Trump’s order—signed just last month—uses inflammatory language to label trans women as “men,” calling their participation in women’s sports “demeaning, unfair, and dangerous.” It warns any non-compliant institution that future funding will vanish. And the University of Maine got the message loud and clear.
Samantha Warren, a top official at UMS, insisted that the schools have always followed the rules, including those updated by the NCAA in February. But that’s exactly the problem. The NCAA’s new policy, revised after Trump’s decree, now restricts women’s sports to “student-athletes assigned female at birth.” So trans women, no matter how they live or compete, are pushed out.
The broader implication here is chilling. Schools across the country now face a choice: stand by their trans students or safeguard their bottom line. Maine made its choice. And let’s be real—it wasn’t for the kids.
What This Means for the LGBTQ Community
This isn’t just a legal compliance issue—it’s a slap in the face to every young trans athlete who dared to dream of competing like any other student. It sends a message that trans lives are negotiable, that their right to exist in public life is optional if the financial stakes are high enough.
Policies like this don’t just hurt trans girls—they embolden the broader attack on LGBTQ rights. They tell queer kids in Maine and beyond that their identity is a liability, something to be managed, excluded, or erased. It’s not just a school sports issue. It’s about belonging, visibility, and dignity.
While the University of Maine may sleep soundly knowing their USDA checks are still on the way, trans students and allies are left wondering: who will stand up for them when the government—and their own schools—won’t?