Maine's official stance generally permits "transgender girls" to compete in girls' sports, and state officials under Democratic Gov. Janet Mills (pictured above) justify that policy under Maine’s Human Rights Act and school athletics policies.
More than 82,000 Mainers signed a petition for An Act to Designate School Sports Participation and Facilities by Sex, a referendum to require school sports teams to be based on biological sex, restrict males from females' sports, and require sex-separate bathrooms and locker rooms in schools.
But it has been removed from the November ballot because Secretary of State Shenna Bellows (D), who is running for governor, says 12,000 invalid signatures left the petition drive about 500 short of the 67,682 required.
"Our hope always is that justice will prevail, and there are systems in place to help do that," Macy Charles (Petty) of Concerned Women for America tells AFN.
She says "we'll see what comes out of " the legal challenge Protect Girls Sports in Maine, the group behind the initiative, has made against Bellows' decision.
Charles, a former athlete who had to compete against males, adds that "invalidated" does not mean phony or irrelevant.
"These are legitimate people who want to see this initiative on the ballot, those names that were invalidated," she says. "The only thing about them that was invalidated was just some procedural things, such as witnesses. It's important that we recognize that there were still thousands … of signatures wanting to have a vote on this, and that's not going to change."
If this issue is not on the ballot this fall, Charles says there are still plenty of ways for the citizens of Maine to make their voices heard.
"They can elect representatives who will change their state laws to protect their young girls," she suggests. "State legislatures certainly still need to move to protect their young women."
