A University of New Hampshire poll released on Thursday found that a majority of Mainers believe transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete on teams that align with their gender identity.
Sixty-four percent of respondents voiced opposition to transgender female athletes competing in women’s sports, versus 29 percent in support.
Opinions were less conclusive on transgender male athletes competing in men’s sports, with 51 percent opposed to 41 percent in support.
Half of survey respondents additionally said transgender participation policy should be set at the federal level, versus 41 percent who said it should be left to the states.
The UNH poll is based on responses from 1,057 Maine residents from March 20 to 24.
The finding comes amid continuing tension between President Donald Trump, who signed an executive order barring trans female athletes from competing in women’s and girls’ sports, and Maine Gov. Janet Mills, who has rejected the order saying it violates Maine’s Civil Rights Act.
Since then, multiple agencies of the Trump administration have targeted Maine alleging that the state’s participation rules violated Title IX, the 1972 federal law that bars sex-based discrimination in schools that receive federal funding.
The scale of the investigations were notable as only two trans female athletes are competing in high school sports in Maine, according to the Maine Principals’ Association, the governing body for school sports in Maine. None currently compete in the University of Maine System.
Most recently, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on March 17 gave Maine 10 days to change its rules for transgender athletes. The Maine Principals’ Association said the federal government has no authority to investigate it and has declined, along with the Greely High School district, to sign the federal department’s proposed agreement.
While poll respondents sided with Trump on that hot-button issue, overall approval for the president’s performance dropped to 42 percent from 45 percent in February. The change was largely attributed to his handling of the economy, his use of tariffs and the potential for a recession, along with his handling of the war in Ukraine and his assertion that Ukraine started the war.