The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has opened a Title IX investigation into Portland Public Schools for allowing a trans-identifying male athlete to compete in women’s sports, OutKick has learned.
As OutKick previously reported, “Ada” Gallagher is a biological male who won a high school state championship in track & field last year. Gallagher has continued to compete in the girls’ division, despite President Donald Trump signing an executive order to prevent males from competing in girls’ and women’s sports.
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The Department sent a letter to Kimberlee Armstrong, Superintendent of Portland Public Schools (the District), informing her that the investigation is now open.
“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 OCR said in a press release.
“OCR also sent a letter notifying the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA), the governing body for the Portland Interscholastic League, that it was opening a directed investigation into its “gender identity participation” policy, which appears to violate Title IX.”
Last week, the Oregon Department of Education released new guidelines around sex-based sports participation.
“Nonbinary, intersex, genderfluid, Two Spirit, and other students who do not consistently identify with the gender binary cannot be prohibited from playing on athletic teams of either gender, in alignment with Oregon nondiscrimination law,” the guidelines state.
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There’s also a section relating to required uniforms, where schools are forced to “develop any athletic uniform policies with consideration of the needs of gender expansive students.”
OutKick recently spoke to an Oregon female high school athlete, who said she wanted to see the federal government get involved to stop trans athletes from stealing wins, awards and spots on girls’ teams from females.
“It’s just frustrating that nothing has changed. But I would very much, and I know other women would [as well], appreciate seeing Oregon being investigated for this, because I feel like it’s so obvious that this is happening, and it is so obvious that it is wrong,” Lilian Hammond told OutKick.
Well, Hammond is getting her wish, as the Department of Education – which has already opened investigations in several other states, including Maine, California, Minnesota and Washington – is now investigating Oregon.
“I am very happy that this is getting the attention that it deserves,” Hammond said in a text message to OutKick after learning about the investigation.
“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, Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights.
“President Trump and Secretary McMahon have been steadfast in their commitment to protect the rights of women and girls. OCR will use every lawful means to ensure that no female athlete is denied equal athletic opportunities or robbed of her rightful accolades.”
OutKick reached out to Kimberlee Armstrong and OSAA about the investigation. Neither could be immediately reached for comment.
While Oregon, like Maine, has argued that their state law permits athletes to compete with and against athletes who match their gender identity – rather than their biological sex – the OCR has repeatedly made it clear that federal mandates supersede state law.
News of the OCR investigation came on the same day that World Athletics, the global governing body for Track & Field, announced it will perform biological sex tests on female athletes to keep males out of the women’s category.
