Contacts:
Gia Drew, EqualityMaine, 207-423-0580, gdrew@equalitymaine.org
Quinn Gormley, Maine TransNet, 207-832-1719, quinn@mainetransnet.org

March 8, 2021 (AUGUSTA) – Maine civil rights and community organizations which advocate for the wellbeing of LGBTQ youth in the state are speaking out against proposed legislation targeting transgender girls. LD 926, introduced by Representative Beth O’Connor, seeks to limit transgender girls’ and young women’s fair educational access by barring them from participation in elementary, secondary and post-secondary school sports. The bill would also require an invasive and demeaning medical examination for any girl or young woman who is wrongly excluded from participation on a girls’ or women’s team.

“As Mainers we all want fairness in school sports but this bill isn’t  fair,  it’s harmful to young people. Not only would the bill exclude some girls and young women from important developmental opportunities because of who they are, it would subject any girl who wants to challenge that exclusion to a prying and privacy-invading medical exam.”

said Gia Drew, Program Director at EqualityMaine.

“Transgender girls want the opportunity to play sports for the same reasons as all girls – to be part of a team and feel like they belong. Sports help young people develop important qualities like leadership, self-respect, and teamwork. When we tell transgender girls that they can’t play girls’ sports they miss out on this important childhood experience.”

said Quinn Gormley , Executive Director, MaineTransNet.

“This bill is misguided and harmful. Efforts to ban trans girls from participating in girls’ sports jeopardize their mental health, physical well-being and ability to access education opportunities similar to other students. All children, including trans children, belong in Maine.”

said Meagan Sway, Policy Director, ACLU of Maine

“We can have both fairness for girls and inclusion of all girls in sports. Allowing young people to develop and grow as people through participating in sports is good for them and for their, and all our, futures. That’s the track record we’ve built in Maine.”

said Mary L. Bonauto, Civil Rights Project Director at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders

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Equality Maine works to secure full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in Maine through political action, community organizing, education, and collaboration. www.equalitymaine.org  

MaineTransNet supports and empowers transgender people to create a world where they can thrive. www.mainetrans.net

ACLU of Maine is the state’s guardian of liberty. It is active in the courts, the legislature and the public sphere to defend the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and to extend their promises to all Mainers. www.aclumaine.org

Through strategic litigation, public policy advocacy, and education, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders works in New England and nationally to create a just society free of discrimination based on gender identity and expression, HIV status, and sexual orientation.

Learn more about the legislation