The US government sues Maine over transgender athletes.

The Donald Trump administration is suing the state of Maine for refusing to ban transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports.

The move escalates the public battle between the state’s governor and Donald Trump, which has included threats from the president to cut funding to Maine’s Department of Education.

“The Department of Justice will not stand idly by when women are discriminated against in sports,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Wednesday. “This is also about the personal safety of these young women.”

In response, Maine Governor Janet Mills said the issue “has never been about school sports, but about protecting women and girls.”

She also accused the federal government of “imposing its will” on the states.

The dispute centers on Title IX, a U.S. civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on sex in educational programs.