Trump Admin Investigating Portland Schools Over Trans Male Athlete
The Trump administration is investigating Portland, Oregon’s public school district over a trans-identifying male athlete who was allowed to compete on the girls’ team.
The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights announced Tuesday that it has opened an investigation into Portland Public Schools over allegations the district violated Title IX, the federal civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination in public schools.
“These allegations include allowing a male track student athlete to compete in a girls’ interscholastic track and field competition on March 19, 2025, and permitting the male athlete to use the girls’ locker room while female athletes were changing,” the administration said.
Last week, a trans-identifying male athlete at Leodis V. McDaniel High School in Portland took the first-place trophy for two races, the girls’ 200-meter race by 1.5 seconds and the girls’ 400-meter race by about 10 seconds, setting season records.
Last year, the same biologically male athlete also won the girls’ 200-meter race at the 6A-1 Portland Interscholastic League Championship.
The Office for Civil Rights notified Kimberlee Armstrong, superintendent of Portland Public Schools, of the Title IX investigation in a letter.
The administration also notified the Oregon School Activities Association, which governs student sports, that it is investigating its “gender identity participation” policy, which “appears to violate Title IX.”
The “gender identity participation” policy “allows students to participate for the athletic or activity program of their consistently asserted gender identity while providing a fair and safe environment for all students.”
The Office for Civil Rights has “previously made it clear that federal antidiscrimination law preempts state law,” a statement from February read.
“We will not allow the Portland Public Schools District or any other educational entity that receives federal funds to trample on the antidiscrimination protections that women and girls are guaranteed under law,” said Craig Trainor, the Office’s Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights.
President Donald Trump issued executive orders banning gender ideology in public schools, including biologically male athletes in girls’ sports and bathrooms. He also issued an order defining sex as male and female only.
“We are putting every school receiving taxpayer dollars on notice: If you let men take over women’s sports teams or invade your locker rooms, you will be investigated for violations of Title IX and risk your federal funding,” Trump said when he signed the order in February.
Armstrong, the Portland school district’s superintendent, said the district “is fully cooperating with the investigation.”
“I stand firm in our legal responsibilities, and I deeply value every student’s right to be treated with dignity, safety, and respect,” Armstrong said in a statement, adding that the district “is in full compliance with Oregon state law, which may differ from federal guidance.”
She said the district’s commitment to “doing what’s right for all students, especially those most vulnerable, remains unwavering.”
