Overview
- The Judiciary Committee, which held a public hearing Tuesday, took testimony from supporters and opponents and received nearly 150 written submissions.
- The citizen initiative would require schools to assign teams and access to bathrooms and locker rooms based on the sex listed on a student’s original birth certificate.
- Secretary of State Shenna Bellows released draft ballot language and is taking public comment through May 7, with final wording due by May 28.
- Backers criticized the draft question as misleading for saying it would change civil-rights laws, using “gender” instead of “sex,” focusing on bathrooms over all private spaces, and framing enforcement as suing schools.
- Opponents, including Equality Maine and civil-rights groups, warn the proposal would reduce protections, increase harassment, and invite costly litigation under the Maine Human Rights Act, which already bans discrimination based on gender identity; the Maine Principals’ Association estimates only two transgender athletes compete on girls’ teams statewide.