Maine Senate rejects effort to ban trans girls from sports

Despite pressure from the Trump administration to repeal protections for transgender student athletes, lawmakers in the Maine Senate late Thursday rejected legislation that would restrict transgender students’ access to school sports and bathrooms.

The majority of the chamber also shot down an effort to roll back state law that establishes a process for someone at least 16 years old to access gender-affirming health care.

The bills —  LD 1134 and LD 380 — mark the first of several targeting transgender rights that will go before lawmakers in the Maine Senate and House of Representatives in the coming days.

LD 1134 would specifically ban transgender girls from playing girls sports or using girls bathrooms or locker rooms. It is one of three similar proposals this session that require trans students to adhere to sports and facilities that align with the sex assigned at birth.

The Senate voted 21-14 in support of a motion to reject the measure, with Sen. Rick Bennett of (R-Oxford) joining Democrats against the bill.

In a speech on the Senate floor, Bennett commended the students who spoke up on “every side of the issue.”

“These are Maine kids and they deserve to grow up in a state where they are safe, respected and seen,” he said.

Referring to those who say the bill seeks to put the state in compliance with federal anti-discrimination protections, he said those questions are “already being addressed in courts where they belong. What we are being asked today is something different: deciding if our laws will affirm the dignity of every child in Maine, or diminish it.”

Many of the bill’s critics focused on what they said were inherent biological differences between males and females and the superior athleticism of males.

Bill sponsor Sen. Sue Bernard (R-Aroostook) told her colleagues she meant no disrespect to the trans community with the bill.

“I’m merely recognizing biological strengths and differences that exist,” she said. “It’s also what’s inherently fair and unfair about requiring girls to compete against trans athletes. There’s nothing new about leveling the playing field in sports.”

Sen. Mike Tipping (D-Penobscot), however, pointed out that trans women and girls have been competing alongside cisgender girls in sports in Maine for decades without much fanfare. “This is nothing new,” he said. “What is new is the outsized and disproportionate focus on their lives, especially on what trans kids get to do at school.”

He continued, “Banning a group of kids from playing sports alongside their classmates simply because of who they are is not about ensuring fairness. It’s about drawing a line of exclusion. And for trans youth, who already face significantly higher rates of bullying, depression and suicide, being told they don’t belong will have serious consequences for their health and their well being.”

The Senate also voted 21-14 against LD 380, which would no longer allow minors that are at least 16 years old to consent to gender-affirming care, which can include a wide range of services, including hormone therapy and counseling.

Sen. David Haggan (R-Penobscot), who sponsored the legislation, said parents should know what children are doing, “in all facets of life,” until they are 18 years old.

Sen. Anne Carney (D-Cumberland) said the current law was passed after “exhaustive study and debate in the 131st Legislature. There’s no reason to change.”

Hundreds of people attended the May public hearing on the slate of anti-trans bills, the vast majority of whom were there in support of trans students. Citing national attacks on trans rights, students, parents of trans youth, faith leaders, educators and other community members testified against the proposals.

In 2021, the Maine Human Rights Act was amended to include gender identity as a protected class against discrimination. But that policy has been the subject of debate and scrutiny since President Donald Trump threatened to withhold federal funding unless Maine complies with his executive order banning transgender girls from playing girls’ sports. The U.S. Department of Justice is currently suing the state over what it says are violations of Title IX, which protects against discrimination in schools.

Other legislation expected to appear before the House and Senate include proposals to restrict the rights of students to use affirming pronouns and broader bills attempting to remove gender identity as part of the Maine Human Rights Act.

This article was originally published by Maine Morning Star.