Latest Sports News Today on Fox News

FIRST ON FOX: A letter signed by 14 Maine state senators was sent to the White House on Tuesday, condemning Gov. Janet Mills for her continued support of trans inclusion in girls' sports. 

The letter, obtained by Fox News Digital, also praised President Donald Trump's administration for its handling of the situation in Maine. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) froze funding to the state last week, and a referral has been made to the Department of Justice over ongoing trans inclusion in girls' sports in the state. 

Maine officials filed a lawsuit against the USDA over the funding freeze on Monday.

The 14 senators also claim that Maine's current policies that enable trans inclusion violate the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), as well as Title IX. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM 

"Dear Mr. President, As you know, the working people of Maine agree with your commonsense approach to protect women’s sports and spaces. We applaud your administration’s efforts to bring Maine into compliance with not only the protections for women and girls guaranteed under the nation’s landmark Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, but what has also been identified as violations of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974," the letter read. 

"The majority of adults and students in Maine do not support Janet Mills and her radical policy of forcing girls to compete against males in athletics. For years, the good people of Maine have been held hostage by a few radical progressives from southern Maine, many of whom have scarce ties to the state. Despite her claims, the Governor could put a stop to these radical policies immediately. While we disagree with the Governor’s assertion that changes to the Maine Human Rights Act are required to stop this madness, we have put forward legislation that would resolve the issue of men in girls’ sports. This legislation could be voted on as early as this week if the Governor encourages legislative Democrats to join us in addressing this issue. 

"Still, we believe Title IX and FERPA violations will continue under the leadership and inaction of Janet Mills. She cannot continue to hide behind her interpretation of the Maine Human Rights Act to ignore federal law. Title IX supersedes the Maine Human Rights Act and the Governor has an obligation to come into compliance with federal law for both the protection of female athletes and the rights of parents."

The 14 senators who signed the letter are Maine Senate Republican leader Trey Stewart, assistant Senate Republican leader Matthew Harrington, Susan Bernard, Richard Bradstreet, Bruce Bickford, Scott Cryway, Russell Black, Brad Farrin, Stacey Guerin, Joseph Martin, David Haggan, Marianne Moore, James Libby and Jeff Timberlake. 

"The questions I would like Governor Mills and her supporters to answer is, ‘Where are the Maine feminists? Why are they not standing in support of Maine female athletes?’" Guerin told Fox News Digital. 

MAINE GIRL INVOLVED IN TRANS ATHLETE BATTLE REVEALS HOW STATE'S POLICIES HURT HER CHILDHOOD AND SPORTS CAREER

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House, Mills and Maine Attoreny General Aaron Frey for comment on the senators' letter.

The state has refused to comply with Trump's February executive order to ban trans athletes from girls' and women's sports, prompting immense federal pressure. Trump initially vowed to cut federal funding to the state if it refused to comply with the order during a Feb. 20 speech. 

Maine GOP state Rep. Laurel Libby was one of the key figures in bringing attention to the state's trans inclusion issue, when she made a social media post identifying a transgender track and field athlete at Greely High School who had taken first place at a girls' pole vault competition after competing as a boy just one year earlier.

Libby's revelation ignited national conversation and coverage of the state's policy on trans inclusion. Libby was censured by the Maine House Democratic majority for her post on the premise that she identified a minor, but she has since filed a lawsuit to have the censure lifted. 

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services referred the Maine Department of Education (MDOE), Maine Principals' Association and Greely High School to the Justice Department on March 28 after dismissing multiple warnings to sign a written agreement to ban trans athletes from girls' sports. 

More potential sanctions could be coming to the state in the next week. 

The U.S. Department of Education sent a letter to the Maine Department of Education (MDOE) on Monday advising a final deadline of April 11 to address the issue or risk a second referral to the Department of Justice. The Department of Health and Human Services already referred Maine to the DOJ last week. 

A survey by the American Parents Coalition found that out of about 600 registered Maine voters, 63% said school sports participation should be based on biological sex, and 66% agreed it’s "only fair to restrict women’s sports to biological women."

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.

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A women's pool tournament championship in the United Kingdom featured two transgender athletes who defeated their female competition.

Harriet Haynes and Lucy Smith went toe-to-toe in the Ultimate Pool Women's Pro Series Event 2 at Robin Park Leisure Centre in Wigan.

Both competitors defeated four female opponents each to get to the championship bout.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Each of Haynes' matchups were rather close, but Smith dominated in the early going of the bracket. Smith defeated Jane Mitchell 7 frames to 3 in the first round and then beat Vicki Lomax, 7-1.

Haynes led the championship match, 6-3, at a point, but Smith came back to cut the deficit to one. Haynes, though, held on to the victory.

According to Ultimate Pool Group, Smith won 85 of 113 matches and 62% of 848 frames dating back to 2021 before entering the final. Haynes owned a .750 winning percentage in 241 lifetime matches and won 61% of the frames before taking on Smith.

The two players wound up facing each other in the semifinals of the U.K. Mini Series pool championships in October. Haynes won that matchup but lost the championship to a biological woman.

The rules of both the English Pool Association and World Eightball Pool Federation (WEPF) state that trans-identified athletes are allowed to compete in the sport with absolutely no restrictions, according to their website. Those bylaws for the English Pool Association have been under review since December 2023.

In August 2023, the WEPF announced it was updating its guidelines to only allow those who were "born female" to play the sport.

"We understand that this decision may prompt questions and discussions within our sport. We want to emphasize that our commitment to upholding the values of sportsmanship, inclusivity, and adherence to regulatory standards remains unwavering," the WEPF said at the time. "Our ultimate goal is to ensure the continued growth and development of the sport we all love, while maintaining a harmonious balance between inclusivity and the integrity of competition. We recognize the importance of fostering an environment where everyone can participate and thrive, and we remain dedicated to upholding these principles to the best of our ability."

But in October that year, the WEPF reversed that protection. It allowed transgender competitors under the condition that they identified as female for a minimum of four years and submitted proof of lowered testosterone levels.

Fox News' Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.

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Dallas Mavericks minority owner and "Shark Tank" host Mark Cuban gave his take on transgender athletes in women's sports this week. 

During an interview on "The Stephen A. Smith Show" Friday, Cuban suggested trans inclusion should not be "pushed down people's throats." 

"To make it a national issue so that if you weren’t supporting the fewer than 10 trans athletes in the NCAA, then you weren’t a good person. People just aren’t ready for that yet. You've got to meet people where they are," Cuban said. "It takes time, you can’t just force it down people’s throats."

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Cuban also suggested people affected by transgender inclusion policies in sports should not be used in political campaigns. 

"Instead of trying to get where the people who are being disadvantaged and being discriminated against are helped, they wanted to make it a campaign issue," Cuban said. "Focus on helping the people, not using them to campaign."

A national exit poll conducted by the Concerned Women for America legislative action committee found that 70% of moderate voters saw the issue of "Donald Trump’s opposition to transgender boys and men playing girls' and women’s sports and of transgender boys and men using girls' and women’s bathrooms" as important to them. 

WHO IS STEPHANIE TURNER? WOMEN'S FENCER WHO KNELT TO PROTEST TRANS OPPONENT AND IGNITED GLOBAL AWARENESS

Additionally, 6% said it was the most important issue of all, while 44% said it was "very important."

Cuban also suggested he supports women athletes who choose not to compete against transgender competitors, saying the decision of whether to compete against trans athletes should be left up to the athletes themselves. 

"My attitude is if there’s a trans athlete, no matter what side, you let the opponent — whether it’s an individual sport or a team sport — you let them decide if they want to compete against them or not," Cuban said. 

Cuban, a staunch supporter of former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris and an impassioned critic of President Donald Trump, is one of the many prominent left-wing figures who have spoken out against the Democratic Party's stance on trans athlete inclusion. 

Smith has repeatedly called out the Democratic Party for its stance on trans athletes, suggesting it played heavily into its defeat in the November election. 

HBO host Bill Maher has also criticized Democratic support for trans inclusion in women's sports. Even Democratic lawmakers like Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass, and former Montana Sen. Jon Tester have spoken out against the party's current stance. 

A  New York Times/Ipsos survey found the vast majority of Americans, including a majority of Democrats, don't think transgender athletes should be permitted to compete in women's sports. Of the 2,128 people who participated, 79% said biological males who identify as women should not be allowed to participate in women's sports. 

Of the 1,025 people who identified as Democrats or leaning Democrat, 67% said that transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete against women. 

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EXCLUSIVE: The U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday the creation of a Title IX special investigations team in conjunction with the Department of Education. The new initiative aims at addressing an "increasing volume" of Title IX cases, amid a flury of controversial incidents involving trans athletes in girls' and women's sports in recent years.

The DOJ provided an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital citing previous policies under the Joe Biden administration that enabled trans inclusion in women's and girls' sports for the situation the new investigations team will look to address.

"Women across America have spent the last four years disenfranchised by the Biden administration that allowed men to compete in girls’ sports - jeopardizing their safety, stealing their scholarships and stripping them of hard-earned awards," the statement read. 

"This Task Force was created with the sole mission of going after bad actors who continue to endanger young women with woke gender ideology. It will leverage every legal resource available to ensure states and organizations follow Title IX to protect women’s civil rights and competitive sports." 

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The Biden administration took steps starting on day one of the former president's term to enable trans inclusion in women's and girls' sports.

On Biden's inauguration day in January 2021, Biden signed an executive order on "Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation." 

The order included a section that said, "Children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports." 

In March 2023, Democrats advocated for a transgender bill of rights, proposing a resolution "recognizing that it is the duty of the Federal Government to develop and implement a Transgender Bill of Rights." The resolution specifically called for federal law to ensure that biological men can "participate in sports on teams and in programs that best align with their gender identity; [and] use school facilities that best align with their gender identity."

In April 2023, Biden's Department of Education proposed a rule change that would have punished schools for preventing trans athletes from competing in women's sports. 

The proposition was titled "Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance: Sex-Related Eligibility Criteria for Male and Female Athletic Teams."

The rule would have outlawed individual states from banning participation in single-sex sports by gender identity rather than just sex. There are 23 states in the U.S. that have legislation in place to restrict trans athletes from competing as females in public school sports. 

WHO IS STEPHANIE TURNER? WOMEN'S FENCER WHO KNELT TO PROTEST TRANS OPPONENT AND IGNITED GLOBAL AWARENESS

In April 2024, Biden issued a sweeping Title IX rewrite that issued a ban on "sex" discrimination in schools based on gender identity, sexual orientation and "pregnancy or related conditions." The rule took effect on Aug. 1, and for the first time, the law stated that discrimination based on sex includes conduct related to a person’s gender identity.

It led to more than two dozen attorneys general suing over the rule, arguing it would conflict with some of their state laws that block transgender students from participating in women’s sports.

The Supreme Court struck down an emergency request by Biden to enforce the rewrite in states that defied the rewrite in August. 

When the election came around in Novemeber, Biden's record on the issue may have backfired on his party because it lost the White House, Senate and House of Representatives. 

A national exit poll conducted by the Concerned Women for America legislative action committee found that 70% of moderate voters saw the issue of "Donald Trump’s opposition to transgender boys and men playing girls' and women’s sports and of transgender boys and men using girls' and women’s bathrooms" as important to them. 

Additionally, 6% said it was the most important issue of all, while 44% said it was "very important."

After President Donald Trump returned to office, he signed an executive order banning trans athletes in women's and girls sports on February 5. However, many Democrat-led states have refused to comply with the order despite most Democrats being opposed to trans inclusion.

A recent New York Times/Ipsos survey found that the vast majority of Americans, including a majority of Democrats, don't think transgender athletes should be permitted to compete in women's sports. Of the 2,128 people who participated, 79% said that biological males who identify as women should not be allowed to participate in women's sports. 

Of the 1,025 people who identified as Democrats or leaning Democrat, 67% said that transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete with women. 

Now, the DOE and DOJ are taking initiative to ensure that Trump's agenda to protect girls' and women's athletes is carried out, and that those who oppose it face consequences. 

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Five weeks after Maine state representative Laurel Libby was censured for a social media post identifying a trans athlete, a free speech group has filed an amicus brief in support of her lawsuit to overturn the censure. 

The free speech group FIRE, in its brief, argued against the basis of the censure, which was imposed by the Democrat majority and Maine House Speaker Ryan Fecteau. 

"If political majorities can impose draconian sanctions on political minorities, then no viewpoint is safe. That’s no way to uphold America’s robust commitment to free and open political speech, and that’s why the First Amendment forbids officials from retaliating against dissenting views," FIRE supervising senior attorney JT Morris told Fox News Digital. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM 

The basis of Libby's censure was that she made a post that identified a minor by name and photo when she called out a trans pole vaulter who won a girls' competition for Greely High School. However, the trans athlete had already been publicized in other local media prior to Libby's post. 

The other media included a post on the Maine House Democrats’ website, the amicus brief alleges.

"I was duly elected by the people of my district to speak for them, to vote on their behalf, and to uphold the values and needs of my constituents. Yet, because of my protected speech outside the walls of the State House, the majority has taken the extraordinary step of denying me those core responsibilities. District 90 now stands voiceless on the House floor—unable to vote, unable to speak, and unable to be represented on matters ranging from an $11 billion state budget to local priorities impacting working families," Libby told Fox News Digital. 

"The arguments presented by the defendants in court suggest that such silencing is beyond judicial review—that legislative immunity allows a majority to erase a district’s vote. That argument is not just wrong—it is dangerous. It flies in the face of Supreme Court precedent, the First and Fourteenth Amendments, and the very idea of equal representation under the law."

All of Maine's federal judges have recused themselves from the case. 

The judges, John C. Nivison, John A. Woodcock, Lance E. Walker, Karen F. Wolf, Stacey D. Neumann and Nancy Torresen, signed recusal orders on Tuesday, shortly after the case was initially filed. No reason was provided for the judges' recusal. The case has since been referred to the District of Rhode Island, according to multiple reports.

Fecteau, who passed the censure, is the main defendant in the lawsuit, alongside House of Representatives clerk Robert Hunt. The Maine Attorney General’s Office will represent Fecteau.

Libby's lawsuit seeks to have her voting and speaking rights restored. Fecteau previously said Libby's rights would be restored after she apologizes, which she does not intend to do. Libby told Fox News Digital in a previous interview that she encourages Fecteau to restore her rights to avoid taking the case to court and costing taxpayers the price of any potential litigation.

MAINE GIRL INVOLVED IN TRANS ATHLETE BATTLE REVEALS HOW STATE'S POLICIES HURT HER CHILDHOOD AND SPORTS CAREER

Libby represents more than 9,000 constituents in Maine's House District 90, and six of them have signed on to the lawsuit as plaintiffs, because the censure has impeded her ability to help carry out other legislative actions to serve those constituents. 

On March 20, Libby was permitted to speak and present 10 amendments during a vote of the state's bi-annual budget. One of those amendments was not related to the budget, but was a proposal to keep trans athletes out of girls' sports. 

However, when Libby did speak to present her amendments, multiple Democrats protested, instigating a debate with Republican representatives. Ultimately, Libby's amendments were not even considered, and Democrats moved to have the amendments indefinitely postponed. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on Wednesday a pause and an ongoing review of federal funding to Maine after the state refused to provide equal opportunities to women and girls in educational programs. 

The state has refused to comply with President Donald Trump's February executive order to ban trans athletes from girls and women's sports, prompting immense federal pressure. Trump initially vowed to cut federal funding to the state if it refused to comply with the order during a Feb. 20 speech, days after Libby made her social media post. 

More potential sanctions could be coming to the state in the next week. 

The U.S. Department of Education sent a letter to the Maine Department of Education (MDOE) on Monday, advising a final deadline of April 11 to address the issue or risk a second referral to the Department of Justice. The Department of Health and Human Services referred Maine to the DOJ last week. 

A survey by the American Parents Coalition found that out of about 600 registered Maine voters, 63% said school sports participation should be based on biological sex, and 66% agreed that it is "only fair to restrict women’s sports to biological women."

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.

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on Wednesday a pause and an ongoing review of federal funding to Maine after the state refused to provide equal opportunities to women and girls in educational programs. 

The state has refused to comply with President Donald Trump's February executive order to ban trans athletes from girls and women's sports, prompting immense federal pressure. Trump initially vowed to cut federal funding to the state if it refused to comply with the order during a Feb. 20 speech. 

Now, Trump has made good on that promise.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM 

USDA secretary Brooks Rollins said the state must agree to protect female athletes from trans inclusion before funding is restored. 

"In order to continue to receive taxpayer dollars from USDA, the state of Maine must demonstrate compliance with Title IX which protects female student athletes from having to compete with or against or having to appear unclothed before males," Rollins wrote in a letter to the state. 

"In addition, USDA has launched a full review of grants awarded by the Biden Administration to the Maine Department of Education. Many of these grants appear to be wasteful, redundant, or otherwise against the priorities of the Trump Administration. USDA will not stand for the Biden Administration’s bloated bureaucracy and will instead focus on a Department that is farmer-first and without a leftist social agenda."

Maine GOP state Rep. Laurel Libby was one of the key figures in bringing attention to the state's trans inclusion issue, when she made a social media post identifying a transgender track and field athlete at Greely High School had taken first place at a Maine girls pole vault competition after competing as a boy just one year earlier.

Libby's revelation of the trans athlete ignited national conversation and coverage of the state's policy on trans inclusion. Libby was censured by the Maine House Democrat majority for her post on the premise that she identified a minor, but she has since filed a lawsuit to have the censure lifted. 

MAINE GIRL INVOLVED IN TRANS ATHLETE BATTLE REVEALS HOW STATE'S POLICIES HURT HER CHILDHOOD AND SPORTS CAREER

"Governor Janet Mills and Maine Democrats have chosen to dig their heels in and embrace radical left-wing ideology over the safety and rights of Maine women and girls. Despite repeated warnings from President Trump, Maine Democrats continued to defy federal law, forcing Maine girls to unfairly compete against biological males," Libby told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. 

"As a result, Maine's Democrat majority has poised Maine students to lose hundreds of millions in federal funding, starting with our USDA funding, instead of championing Maine girls by adhering to federal law. I continue to stand firmly with Maine girls and President Trump in the pursuit of sanity and fairness. I implore Maine Democrats to abandon this incredibly harmful and radical gender ideology for the sake of our students."

More potential sanctions could be coming to the state in the next week. 

The U.S. Department of Education sent a letter to the Maine Department of Education (MDOE) on Monday advising a final deadline of April 11 to address the issue or risk a second referral to the Department of Justice. The Department of Health and Human Services already referred Maine to the DOJ last week. 

Wednesday's announcement is not the first funding freeze USDA announced regarding Maine. 

The department paused funding to the University of Maine System (UMS), a network of eight public universities in the state, on March 11 while it conducted a review of the system's compliance with Title IX. 

Funding was restored to UMS just days later and the USDA announced the system was in full compliance. 

But the major issue involving trans athlete inclusion in Maine is at the high school level. In addition to the incident involving the pole vaulter at Greely High School, other instances have impacted multiple girls across the state who have had to compete with and share locker rooms with biological males. 

Maine teen Cassidy Carlisle previously told Fox News Digital about how she had to share a locker room with a trans student while in middle school, then had to compete with another trans athlete in Nordic skiing last year. 

"The defeat that comes with that in that moment is heartbreaking," Carlisle said. "I'm just in shock in a way. I didn't believe it. … I didn't think it was happening to me."

"I stayed silent for a while," Carlisle said. "It's very hard to speak up if you don't have a platform to do it on. … Backlash is a huge thing. I'm a high school student. No high school student wants to be hurt or yelled at or said mean comments by people. And the reality of it, with the state that I live in, that could very much happen." 

A survey by the American Parents Coalition found that out of about 600 registered Maine voters, 63% said school sports participation should be based on biological sex, and 66% agreed it’s "only fair to restrict women’s sports to biological women."

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.

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Former University of Pennsylvania transgender swimmer Lia Thomas recently spoke up in support of the trans athlete community as most Americans have become opposed to trans inclusion in women's sports. 

Thomas spoke up about the issue at the HiTOPS trans youth forum on Saturday.

"I am going to keep fighting as much as I am able to," Thomas said over Zoom. 

"In order to fight the battles we need to fight, we have to stick together and support each other."

Thomas' recent comments come three years after the athlete was allowed to swim in the women's category for UPenn at the 2022 Ivy League championships and NCAA championships. Thomas previously competed for the university's men's swimming team under the name Will Thomas.

But the previous NCAA gender eligibility policy allowed trans athletes to compete with and share locker rooms with women, so Thomas took advantage and went on to break multiple women's records. 

Thomas was even the focus of mostly-positive attention from the mainstream legacy media in 2022, doing sit-down interviews with ESPN, NBC News and "Good Morning America." 

RILEY GAINES WANTS TO SEND A ‘THANK-YOU NOTE' TO LIA THOMAS – HERE'S WHY

But three years later, President Donald Trump has ordered a national ban on trans athletes in women's sports, the NCAA has amended its policy to keep biological males from competing on women's teams, and data suggests the vast majority of Americans oppose trans inclusion in women's sports. 

But Thomas believes the policies of trans athlete inclusion should be left up to the trans athletes themselves. 

"It has to be the athletes deciding for themselves where they feel most affirmed and most comfortable," she said. "Having routes that are safe and non-discriminatory, that allow them access to that."

Thomas' inclusion on the women's swimming team at UPenn in the 2021-22 season has prompted multiple lawsuits and a pause in $175 million in federal funding to the university for Title IX violations. 

Riley Gaines currently leads a lawsuit against the NCAA, alongside several other women who competed with Thomas in 2021-22, over its previous gender identity policy. 

HOW TRANSGENDERISM IN SPORTS SHIFTED THE 2024 ELECTION AND IGNITED A NATIONAL COUNTERCULTURE

In February, three of Thomas' former teammates filed a lawsuit against the university, the Ivy League and the NCAA, seeking to have all of Thomas' records in the women's category revoked, while also alleging the university pushed pro-trans ideology on the team. 

The three former women's swimmers, Grace Estabrook, Margot Kaczorowski and Ellen Holmquist, claim that by allowing Thomas to compete, the institutions "injured them and violated federal law." 

"The UPenn administrators told the women that if anyone was struggling with accepting Thomas’s participation on the UPenn Women’s team, they should seek counseling and support from CAPS and the LBGTQ center," the lawsuit alleges. 

"The administrators also invited the women to a talk titled, ‘Trans 101.’ Thus, the women were led to understand that UPenn’s position was that if a woman on the team had any problem with a trans-identifying male being on her team, that woman had a psychological problem and needed counseling."

Meanwhile, after the 2022 college season, Thomas made an attempt to compete in the Olympics as a woman, but was denied. World Aquatics amended its policy later that year to prohibit any trans athlete who went through male puberty from competing in the women's category.

Thomas lost a court challenge to that rule in 2024. 

"I felt so devastated and [felt] grief over losing this access to my sport," Thomas said Saturday. "There was no doubt in my mind that I was going to fight this, that this is my sport too, and I'm not just gonna give it up." 

A recent New York Times/Ipsos survey found the vast majority of Americans, including a majority of Democrats, don't think transgender athletes should be permitted to compete in women's sports. Of the 2,128 people polled, 79% said biological males who identify as women should not be allowed to participate in women's sports. 

Of the 1,025 people who identified as Democrats or leaning Democrat, 67% said transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete with women.

A national exit poll conducted by the Concerned Women for America legislative action committee found that 70% of moderate voters saw the issue of "Donald Trump’s opposition to transgender boys and men playing girls' and women’s sports and of transgender boys and men using girls' and women’s bathrooms" as important to them. Additionally, 6% said it was the most important issue of all, while 44% said it was "very important."

Gaines, who infamously tied Thomas at the 2022 NCAA championships, has since become a prominent conservative political influencer and believes Thomas' inclusion in the women's category played heavily into the outcome of the 2024 election. 

"I think we should send a thank-you note to people like Will Thomas, I really do, signed and sealed by me. I will sign the thank-you note, I will write it, because I believe he handed us the election," Gaines previously told Fox News Digital. 

A school board in Washington state has filed a complaint pleading for intervention from the federal government to force the state to ban transgender athletes from girls sports. 

The Kennewick School Board filed a Title IX complaint with the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights against Washington state's Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal this week.

The complaint includes a plea for "urgent" federal intervention against the state's ongoing policies that defy President Donald Trump's recent "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" executive order. 

"We respectfully request URGENT federal intervention due to open and egregious Title IX violations currently occurring within the state’s student athletics as well as requisite school district policies mandated by the state which are in direct violation of Title IX," the complaint states. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

"We are particularly concerned the openly discriminatory policies and mandates by the state of Washington, State Superintendent Reykdal, OSPI and WIAA not only directly harm our young women, but also jeopardize our district’s essential federal funding, the loss of which would most severely impact our most impoverished and at risk populations." 

The school board is caught in a conflict of directives as Trump's administration has ordered all public schools to ban trans athletes from girls sports or risk losing federal funding, while Washington's state government has ordered schools to continue allowing trans inclusion. 

CALIFORNIA LAWMAKER WARNS DEMOCRATS OF CONSEQUENCES FOR NOT PROTECTING GIRLS' SPORTS FROM TRANS ATHLETES

"This state-imposed restriction erodes the trust between schools and families and unreasonably infringes on the precious fundamental right of parents in guiding their children's development," the complaint continues. 

"Our school board addressed this by genuinely attempting to find a middle ground between the state mandate and the fundamental role of parents. We did so with slight modifications to the state-mandated policy that shouldn't offend any reasonable person. Nevertheless, OSPI has taken the position that our slight modifications offend the law (as OSPI has interpreted it) and seems to have triggered the State Superintendent Chris Reykdal and OSPI."

Reykdal previously claimed it was "inaccurate" to say there are only two genders during a video address in late February.

"It is quite simply inaccurate to say, biologically, that there are only boys and there are only girls," Reykdal said. "There's a continuum. There's a science to this. There are children who are born intersex. There are children whose hormones and whose chromosomes are not consistent with their sex at birth.

"Our state laws make clear that children get to identify and participate based on the gender in which they identify. We're going to uphold that law."

Reykdal also insisted in that address that Trump does not have the authority as president to issue a ban on trans athletes in girls sports but conceded the U.S. Congress does.

Another school district in Washington opted to take matters into its own hands and defy the state government in late February. 

The Tumwater School District's board of directors voted 3-1 Feb. 27 to ban trans athletes from playing for girls sports teams after a nationally publicized controversy involving one of its school's girls basketball teams. 

A civil rights complaint was filed with the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights on behalf of a teenage girl in Washington state who was allegedly punished for refusing to play a basketball game against a trans athlete. 

The complaint said the Tumwater School District in Washington is investigating 15-year-old Frances Staudt for "misgendering" the opponent and violating the district's policies against bullying and harassment Feb. 7. 

The issue of trans inclusion became so concerning for Washington residents, the WIAA in December announced a proposal to create a separate open division for transgender athletes to compete in. 

That proposal came weeks after the Central Valley School Board, which oversees schools in Spokane Valley and Liberty Lake, Washington, voted to send a message to the WIAA over the issues after much debate at a school board meeting.

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Two teenage transgender athletes who are suing President Donald Trump's administration told The Associated Press about their motivation for the lawsuit. 

The two New Hampshire teens, 16-year-old Parker Tirrell and 15-year-old Iris Turmelle, are biological males who have played on girls sports teams for their respective high schools. They and their families originally filed a lawsuit last year to challenge a New Hampshire law prohibiting transgender athletes from participating in girls sports.

In February, after Trump signed an executive order banning trans athletes from girls sports nationwide, a federal judge granted a request to add the Trump administration to the list of defendants.

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Tirrell played girls soccer at Plymouth Regional High School in the fall.

"I just feel like I’m being singled out right now by lawmakers and Trump and just the whole legislative system for something that I can’t control," Tirrell said. "It just doesn’t feel great. It’s not great. It feels like they just don’t want me to exist. But I’m not going to stop existing just because they don’t want me to."

MAINE UNIVERSITIES AGREE TO KEEP TRANSGENDER ATHLETES OUT OF WOMEN'S SPORTS AFTER TRUMP ADMIN PAUSES FUNDING

Turmelle, who attends Pembroke Academy, is interested in joining that school’s girls tennis and track teams, according to court filings. 

"We don’t go to sleep in the day and go out at night and drink people’s blood. We don’t hate sunlight. We’re human, just like you," Turmelle said. 

Turmelle spoke about not making the school's softball team. 

"To the argument that it’s not fair, I’d just like to point out that I did not get on the softball team," Turmelle said. "If that wasn’t fair, then I don’t know what you want from me."

New Hampshire federal Judge Landya McCafferty, who was appointed to her seat by former President Barack Obama in 2013, granted a preliminary injunction Sept. 10, allowing Tirrell to play for Plymouth Regional and bypass the state law to keep trans athletes out of girls sports. 

New Hampshire was already one of 25 states with a law in place to enforce similar bans on trans inclusion before Trump's executive order went into effect. 

Tirrell and Turmelle's lawyers argue Trump’s executive order, along with parts of a Jan. 20 executive order that forbids federal money from being used to "promote gender ideology," subjects the teens and all transgender people to discrimination in violation of federal equal protection guarantees and their rights under Title IX.

"The systematic targeting of transgender people across American institutions is chilling, but targeting young people in schools, denying them support and essential opportunities during their most vulnerable years, is especially cruel," Chris Erchull, a GLAD attorney, said.

The situation involving the two trans athletes has also prompted a second lawsuit after parents wore wristbands that said "XX" in reference to the biological female chromosomes and were allegedly banned from school grounds for wearing them. 

Plaintiffs Kyle Fellers and Anthony Foote sued the Bow School District after being banned from school grounds for wearing the wristbands at their daughters' soccer game in September. 

In the lawsuit filed by Fellers and Foote, they allege they were told by school officials to remove the armbands, or they would have to leave the game. 

Both of the fathers say the intention of the armband was not to protest Tirrell, but to support their own daughters in a game that featured a biological male. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Officials at a school district in Maine announced Thursday that the district will not comply with a proposed agreement with President Donald Trump’s administration that would bar transgender athletes from participating in girls sports.

Maine School Administrative District 51, home to Greely High School, where a transgender athlete incited national controversy after winning a girls pole vault competition in February, said it is not complying and will instead "continue to follow state law and the Maine Human Rights Act."

"To our students: Thank you for your maturity, perseverance and dedication to learning through these distractions. Please continue to lead the way," the district said in a statement.

The Maine Principals' Association said in a statement it is also "bound by the law, including the Maine Human Rights Act, which our participation policy reflects." 

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The institutions have opted to defy Trump's order despite recent data suggesting the majority of Maine residents oppose transgender athletes in girls sports. 

A survey by the American Parents Coalition found that out of about 600 registered Maine voters, 63% said school sports participation should be based on biological sex, and 66% agreed it’s "only fair to restrict women’s sports to biological women."

MAINE GIRL INVOLVED IN TRANS ATHLETE BATTLE REVEALS HOW STATE'S POLICIES HURT HER CHILDHOOD AND SPORTS CAREER

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.

The situation involving a trans athlete at Greely High School attracted national attention after Maine Republican state Rep. Laurel Libby identified the athlete by name with a photograph in a social media post in February.

Police protection was later assigned to the school over safety concerns. 

The Maine legislature then censured Libby for the post, and she has since filed a lawsuit seeking to have the censure overturned. 

A feud between Trump and Maine Gov. Janet Mills began Feb. 20 during a GOP meeting of governors, when Trump threatened to cut federal funding to the state for not banning trans athletes from girls and women's sports. 

The next day, Mills' office responded with a statement threatening legal action against the Trump administration if it did withhold federal funding from the state. Then, Trump and Mills verbally sparred in a widely publicized argument at the White House during a bipartisan meeting of governors.

"Are you not going to comply with that?" Trump asked Mills.

Since then, multiple protests against Mills have been held outside the state Capitol, and the Maine University System has cooperated with the Trump administration to ensure no trans athletes compete in women's sports after a temporary funding pause. 

Last week, the U.S. Health and Human Services' Office of Civil Rights (OCR) announced it found the Maine Department of Education, the Maine Principals' Association and Greely High School in violation of Title IX for continuing to enable trans inclusion in girls sports. 

The announcement warned that the state had 10 days to correct its policies through a signed agreement or risk referral to the U.S. Department of Justice for appropriate action. That deadline passed Thursday. 

OCR acting Director Anthony Archeval previously provided a statement to Fox News Digital warning of potential consequences for continued defiance of the executive order. 

"What HHS is asking of the Maine Department of Education, the Maine Principals' Association (MPA) and Greely High School is simple — protect female athletes’ rights. Girls deserve girls-only sports without male competitors. And if Maine won’t come to the table to voluntarily comply with Title IX, HHS will enforce Title IX to the fullest extent permitted by the law," Archeval said. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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