Maine trans athlete controversy: Janet Mills to receive human rights award
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Maine Gov. Janet Mills will be one of the recipients of the Human Rights Award from the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights organization. A ceremony will be held next month.
Mills will receive the award because of her battle with President Donald Trump’s administration over transgender athlete inclusion in women’s and girls’ sports.
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Governor of Maine Janet Mills attends the PEN America Spring Literary Gala at The American Museum of Natural History on Thursday, May 15, 2025, in New York. (Andy Kropa/Invision/AP)
“I am honored to receive this recognition named for former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, a heroic champion for civil rights and the rule of law that governs our nation and inspires the world,” Mills said in a news release.
“Throughout my career as a District Attorney, Attorney General, and now as Governor of Maine, I have fought to uphold the Constitution of my state and my country. I feel it is the responsibility of all Americans to speak in defense of their principles, for the rights of others, and for the rule of law which protects us all. As a member of the generation of Americans who were inspired by the career of Robert F. Kennedy, I am truly humbled and grateful for this award, which recognizes how his remarkable legacy should inspire all of us today.”
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Democratic Gov. Janet Mills delivers her State of the State address, Jan. 30, 2024, at the State House in Augusta, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)
Mills, along with Justice Department pardon attorney Elizabeth Oyer and immigration and reform activist Jeanette Vizguerra, was given the award “for their moral courage and willingness to act on their convictions – even at great personal risk.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) sued the state of Maine in April as Mills bucked the president’s executive order to keep males out of girls’ and women’s sports. Maine’s transgender participation policies have been a source of consternation, leading to a public spat between Trump and Mills during a meeting with the governors in February. The USDA lawsuit was one of a few filed against the state.
The USDA announced a funding freeze and a review of federal funding to Maine for the state allegedly refusing to provide equal opportunities to women and girls in educational programs. USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said at the time that the state must agree to protect female athletes from trans inclusion before funding would be restored.
Maine sued the USDA over the funding freeze and accused the department of “withholding funding used to feed children in schools, childcare centers, and after-school programming as well as disabled adults in congregate settings.”
President Donald Trump signs an executive order barring transgender female athletes from competing in women’s or girls’ sporting events, in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
The state dropped the lawsuit against the administration as the USDA agreed to restore federal funding earlier this month.
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Maine is still facing other legal battles over the issue.
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