LD 926, the “Act To Ban Biological Males from Participating in Women’s Sports,” is harmful to children and undermines interscholastic and intramural sports programs. Anyone who grew up in Maine, or has raised, taught or coached children here, understands what our sports programs do for students. Kids make and develop friendships at practice and gain confidence and independence at games and meets. They spend time outside, a valuable part of childhood development and essential during the COVID-19 pandemic. Why would we want to deprive some children of these opportunities?

Furthermore, why would we use a discriminatory basis to deprive some children of these opportunities? Transgender girls deserve equal treatment to cisgender girls. The bill’s requirement of a physical examination for trans girls who wish to participate in sports is an unnecessary invasion of privacy. Do we require a physical examination for girls who display incredible muscle growth, since they likely have an advantage over girls with less muscle mass? Few would accept this as a justification for pushing certain girls out of school sports.

In the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey conducted by the UCLA School of Law, “13% of respondents who had been denied equal treatment because they are transgender reported suicide attempts in the last year.” Comparatively, they found that “6% of respondents who had not experienced such treatment reported past-year attempts.”

This bill is a prime example of unequal treatment. If you support LD 926, you support the suicide attempts of young trans girls in Maine.

Emma Raven
North Yarmouth