Two female Maine high school soccer players plan to ask the federal government to step in over a transgender player on an opposing team. Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a conservative legal group, said it will file a Title IX complaint with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights on November 2.
The complaint, which OutKick reviewed in draft form, is being prepared for Reagan Wilson, a junior at Fryeburg Academy, and Morgan Clark, a junior and varsity soccer captain at Windham High School. It centers on a transgender freshman who joined the girls varsity team at South Portland High School this fall. According to the draft, the player scored or assisted on about half of South Portland's goals this season. Fryeburg lost to South Portland on August 29, and Windham tied South Portland 1-1 on October 1, a result the complaint says hurt Windham's ranking.
"Reagan and Morgan urge OCR to step in, stop this violation of federal law, and protect the right of women and girls to compete on a level playing field," the draft states. It names the Maine Department of Education, the Maine Principals' Association, South Portland School Department, and the Windham Raymond School District, and asks federal officials to require policy changes and remedies for past violations.
South Portland's season has drawn attention. The team went 3-9-2 last year in 2025 and was 11-2-2 after winning the first regional quarterfinal in program history on October 27, according to the Portland Press Herald.
The complaint targets the Maine Principals' Association's eligibility rule, which lets a transgender student compete on teams matching either their sex at birth or their gender identity, "but not both," and says "[n]o medical records or official documents shall be requested or required to establish a student's gender identity." ADF argues that the rule does not give female students equal athletic opportunities, as Title IX requires.
Maine officials say state law leaves them no choice. The Maine Human Rights Act bars discrimination based on gender identity. When President Donald Trump signed an executive order in February 2025 restricting transgender athletes in girls sports, Mike Burnham, the association's executive director, said, "The executive order and our Maine state Human Rights Act are in conflict," and that the association would "continue to follow state law as it pertains to gender identity." The U.S. Justice Department later sued Maine's education department over the issue.
The complaint also cites the Supreme Court's June 30 ruling in West Virginia v. B.P.J., in which the Court upheld West Virginia's ban and held that Title IX does not require schools to let transgender girls play on girls teams. The majority said its decision did not resolve whether states may allow transgender athletes to compete according to their gender identity, the policy ADF is challenging in Maine.
The issue may also reach Maine voters. A referendum campaign seeking limits on transgender students in school sports and facilities fell 532 valid signatures short of the 2026 ballot after Secretary of State Shenna Bellows ruled thousands of signatures invalid. Organizers are now working toward a 2027 vote. The two students plan to speak at a news conference at the State House in Augusta on November 2. For background on the federal law, see allk12's explainer on what Title IX covers.
South Portland High had 928 students and Windham High 939 in 2024-25, according to federal data.
Sources
OutKick: Two Maine high school girls ask federal officials to intervene over transgender soccer player
Bangor Daily News: Transgender female athletes can still compete under state law, Maine Principals' Association says (February 8, 2025)
Congressional Research Service: Supreme Court decision in West Virginia v. B.P.J. (LSB11454)
Maine Public: Maine's secretary of state invalidates transgender referendum question (May 26, 2026)
Enrollment from allk12's analysis of National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data, 2024-25.
