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Fox News
22-03-2025
- Fox News
Maine girl involved in trans athlete battle reveals how state's policies hurt her childhood and sports career
Cassidy Carlisle was in seventh grade, she said, when had to change in the same locker room as a transgender student. During a gym class at Presque Isle Middle School in northern Maine six years ago, she said, she walked into the locker room to find a biological male who would change with her and other girls. She alleges she was told by administrators that if she tried to avoid changing with the trans student, she would risk being late to class. "That was really my first experience in just knowing that something isn't right, but not knowing what to do with that," Carlisle told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. Fox News Digital has reached out to Presque Isle Middle School for comment. Gender identity was first included in the Maine Human Rights Act as part of the definition of sexual orientation in 2005. In 2021, the law was amended to add gender identity as its own protected class, joining other protected classes such as sex, sexual orientation, disability, race, color and religion. The law specifically says that denying a person equal opportunity in athletic programs is education discrimination. The transgender student was only in the girls locker room for about a week, Carlisle claims, before mysteriously vanishing. But the memory of the experience stuck with her. The memory especially stuck with her in her junior year of high school, when she found out she would be competing with a trans athlete on the state Nordic skiing team. It was an athlete with whom she was familiar. She had already lost to the trans athlete in cross-country competitions in previous years. When her father told her she would have to face the athlete again in skiing, Carlisle didn't believe it was happening. "I was like, 'Oh, that's only something I kind of hear about on the news. … It's not going to happen to me," Cassidy recalled. But it did happen to her. "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." As a child, Carlisle quit her co-ed hockey team specifically because she felt she "couldn't keep up" with the boys. Then, even after committing to a girls-only sport, she couldn't escape the physical disadvantage that came with facing biological males. On top of the anxiety of the situation, Carlisle felt like she couldn't speak out about it. "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." What she could do was vote in the November election. As a first-time voter, she cast her ballot with the issue of trans athletes in girls sports at the forefront. 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. And 6% said it was the most important issue of all, while 44% said it was "very important." When Republican Maine state Rep. Laurel Libby spoke out earlier this year against another trans athlete who won a girls pole vault competition in February, Carlisle suddenly gained an opportunity to influence the issue. Libby's social media post identifying the trans athlete thrust the entire state into an ongoing culture war. It became ground zero for a national battle over the issue waged by the Trump administration against several Democrat-controlled states like Maine after Trump signed an executive order to address the issue Feb. 5. All of a sudden, thousands of people in Maine were speaking out against the state's laws that enable trans inclusion in girls sports and locker rooms, all with the backing of the president. So Carlisle joined in. On Feb. 27, Carlisle made a trip to the White House with several other current and former female athletes who have been affected by trans inclusion, including Payton McNabb and Selina Soule. There, they met with Attorney General Pam Bondi and several other state attorneys general and shared their stories. Carlisle couldn't help but notice an absence at the White House that day, "None of our AGs were there from our state," Carlisle said. So, when Carlisle returned to her state, she took matters into her own hands. Last weekend, she delivered a speech in front of the Maine Capitol, speaking to hundreds of other residents there to protest Gov. Janet Mills for her continued enabling of trans athletes in girls sports. It was the second protest against Mills outside the Capitol in a month after the March on Mills rally March 1. The Trump administration is taking aggressive measures to get the state to adhere to the wishes of Carlisle and other residents who want females protected from trans inclusion. On March 17, the Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights (OCR) announced that if 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. In the announcement, the department said Maine had 10 days to correct its policies through a signed agreement or risk referral to the U.S. Department of Justice for appropriate action. Trump has already shown a willingness to cut federal funding to enforce these policies. He paused $175 million in funding to the University of Pennsylvania and temporarily paused funding to the University of Maine System last week until a review had found the system was in full compliance with Trump's orders. The deadline for the rest of Maine to comply is coming up within the week. "I really hope that Maine complies because our schools need the federal funding, and we can't risk losing that," Carlisle said. "It would really really hurt our state to lose that federal funding. So, I hope our government can get it together." Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Fox News
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Linda McMahon speaks out on protecting women and girls from trans athletes during confirmation hearing
Linda McMahon made her stance clear on trans inclusion in women's and girls' sports during her confirmation hearing for education secretary on Thursday. "I do not believe that biological boys should be able to compete against girls in sports, and I think now that certainly not only have the people spoken, because that was something that Trump ran very heavily on, but I believe the court has spoken," McMahon said. A national exit poll conducted by the Concerned Women for America (CWA) 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. And 6% said it was the most important issue of all, while 44% said it was "very important." Trump vowed during his 2024 campaign to ban trans athletes from women's and girls' sports. Trump made good on that promise early when he signed the No Men in Women's Sports executive order on Feb. 5. Prior to that, the Supreme Court ruled in August to deny a Biden administration emergency request to enforce portions of the former president's Title IX rewrites that would allow biological males in women's and girls' changing rooms. And as McMahon looks to get confirmed as education secretary, she insists on carrying out the original mission of Title IX, and keeping women's sports for biological females. "We are really back to what Title IX was originally established to do and that was to protect social discrimination. Women should feel safe in their locker rooms. They should feel safe in their spaces. They shouldn't have to be exposed to men undressing in front of them," McMahon said Thursday. "I heard one person the other day say, 'Well, guys should just hold the shower curtain in front of them so that they aren't exposing themselves.' I mean really, that's just not what we should be doing. We should be making sure that Title IX, which is the law, should be enforced." The Biden administration education secretary, Miguel Angel Cardona, supported allowing trans athletes to compete in women's and girls' sports. Cardona helped draft the Title IX changes that would have prohibited blanket bans of transgender athletes on public school teams. In a June 2021 interview with ESPN, Cardona said "transgender girls have a right to compete." "Our LGBTQ students have endured more harassment than most other groups. It's critically important that we stand with them and give them opportunities to engage in what every other child can engage in without harassment," Cardona said. "It's their right as a student to participate in these activities. And we know sports does more than just put ribbons on the first-, second- and third-place winner," he said. "We know that it provides opportunities for students to become a part of a team, to learn a lot about themselves, to set goals and reach them and to challenge themselves. Athletics provides that in our K-12 systems and in our colleges, and all students deserve an opportunity to engage in that." Now, under the Trump administration, there will be multiple layers of efforts to prevent trans athletes from competing in women's and girls' sports, and McMahon's agenda will be one of those layers if she is confirmed. A recent New York Times/Ipsos survey found the vast majority of Americans, including a majority of Democrats, do not 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 Democratic, 67% said transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete with women. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Fox News
12-02-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Tim Walz's daughter rants against Trump's transgender athlete executive order
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's daughter, Hope Walz, went viral this week for a series of TikToks criticizing President Donald Trump's executive order banning transgender athletes from women's and girls' sports. Walz posted her first video about the issue Saturday, when she called the order "a dangerous precedent." "It is dangerous for the trans community, women, minorities, anyone who is not a straight white man," she said in the video. "We are talking about human beings, and the president of the United States is targeting them because he thinks it will gain him political points or whatever." She suggested the issue of trans athletes in women's and girls sports "is not real." "I have never felt unsafe around a trans person. I have felt unsafe around men. So, maybe let's deal with that," she said. Walz posted a follow-up TikTok addressing the issue Wednesday. In that video, she suggested Trump's Cabinet members have "allegations." She also made claims that more of Trump's 15 Cabinet members have "credible allegations" than there are trans athletes in high school sports. Walz did not clarify which members or which allegations she was referring to. "Transphobia and transphobes are so crazy to me because, like, the whole argument is, 'Oh, we're protecting women. We need to protect women.' But then they turn around and vote for a literal felon, who, he himself as well as many of the people closest to him have credible allegations," she said. "Like, the amount of people with credible allegations in the Cabinet is more than trans kids trying to play high school sports." However, the United Nations released study findings saying that nearly 900 biological females have fallen short of victories because they have been defeated by transgender athletes. The study, "Violence against women and girls in sports," said more than 600 athletes did not medal in more than 400 competitions in 29 different sports, totaling over 890 medals, according to information obtained up to March 30. "The replacement of the female sports category with a mixed-sex category has resulted in an increasing number of female athletes losing opportunities, including medals, when competing against males," the report said. Tim Walz was a vocal advocate for transgender and LGBTQ+ rights as Kamala Harris' running mate in the 2024 election. The issue of transgender athletes competing with girls and women proved to be an issue that affected the outcome of an election in which Harris and Walz lost in a landslide. Shortly after November's election, 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. And 6% said it was the most important issue of all, while 44% said it was "very important." 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. Walz's home state of Minnesota is one of the states that has refused to comply with Trump's executive order. The Minnesota State High School League announced Thursday it will continue to allow transgender athletes to compete against girls despite Trump's executive order to ban them from doing so. The Minnesota organization said in an email to member schools that participation by, and eligibility of, transgender athletes is controlled by the Minnesota Human Rights Act, which includes protections for LGBTQ+ people, and the Minnesota Constitution. "The Minnesota State High School League, similar to other youth sports organizations, is subject to state anti-discrimination laws, which prohibit discrimination based on gender identity," the organization said in a statement. "Therefore, students in Minnesota are allowed to participate consistent with their gender identity." California is another state that has refused to comply with Trump's order. The decision by California not to comply with Trump's order has prompted backlash and even protests and threats of lawsuits. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Fox News
07-02-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Rep. Jasmine Crockett says Trump's transgender athlete ban 'doesn't protect women,' faces intense backlash
Most Democrats have opted to remain silent in response to President Donald Trump's executive order banning transgender athletes from women's and girls sports. But one Democrat spoke out against it and was heavily criticized. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, spoke out against Trump's executive order in an X post Wednesday. "On National Girls & Women in Sports Day, Trump is: - banning trans kids from playing sports - trying to cut Title IX women's and girls' athletics grants -removing references to women, female and equality on government websites," Crockett wrote. "LET ME BE CLEAR This. Doesn't. Protect. Women." Crockett's criticism of Trump drew fierce backlash from other X users. "Nothing in your post is true. Transgender kids are not banned from playing sports - they just have to play on teams and in leagues where their sex matches the other athletes. Or they can form their own leagues. This was done to keep men from dominating women's sports by pretending to be women. AKA 'protecting women's sports.'" one user wrote. "There were no Title IX grants cut. Any references to 'women, female & equality' removed from any .gov website were removed in the context of transgender/gender ideology." One user suggested Crockett's stance was misogynistic. "Why do you care more about the feelings of some biological males over the rights and safety of women? There's a name for it when men are prioritized over women and given more rights. I was taught that's misogyny," the user wrote. Another user pointed out that data suggests most Americans, including Democrats, oppose transgender inclusion in women's sports, and that factored into the 2024 election results. "This absolutely protects women, and this is what the majority of the country voted for," the user wrote. 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. Shortly after November's election, 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. And 6% said it was the most important issue of all, while 44% said it was "very important." Crockett previously called her state and Florida "deplorable" during a December hearing on transgender athletes over conservative legislation by lawmakers in those states. Her comments came during a House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services hearing to discuss proposed changes to Title IX by the Biden administration that would redefine sexual discrimination to include gender identity. "When lawmakers like this are so far out of touch with what women need, we see states pushing back," Crockett said of her Republican colleague, U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman of Wisconsin, who spoke before her. "At least states that will allow you to push back. I'm from the state of Texas, and, of course, they don't want you to ever have an opportunity to raise your voice in the state of Texas. "In fact, Ms. Perry, I know your organization, the Heritage Foundation, loves Texas. Oh, they love Texas," she added. "They always sending us some nonsense bills that somehow set this country on the wrong trajectory. They send them to Texas. They send them to Florida. Every deplorable state that we can think about, they usually coming out of yall's think tank." Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
