A 13-year-old Cassidy Carlisle got an unwelcome shock when she encountered a biological male in the girls’ locker room at her school in Presque Isle years ago. When she complained to the school administration, she was told that if she chose to change in a private bathroom instead, she might be late for class.
Years later, Carlisle lost a Nordic skiing competition to a biological male who, because he identified as female, was able to compete as such. Recently back from a visit to Washington, D.C., where Carlisle relayed these experiences to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, she addressed a crowd of more than 300 in front of the State Capitol in Augusta on Saturday.
Carlisle was one of several speakers who addressed the crowd as Maine continues to sit at the center of a national controversy revolving around transgender ideology and, specifically, whether female athletes should be forced to compete against male athletes.
The rally was organized by emcee/Rep. Mike Soboleski (R-Phillips), along with Assistant House Republican Leader Katrina Smith (R-Palermo) and former State Rep turned education activist Heidi Sampson.
The powerful keynote address was delivered by Chloe Cole, a young woman who began taking transgender hormones and had a double-mastectomy before she was old enough to get her driver’s permit but later decided to “de-transition.”
The national controversy started with Rep. Laurel Libby (R-Auburn) posting an image of a male athlete winning a girls’ track and field competition and culminated with an in-person spat between President Donald Trump and Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D).
The debate hinges of changes to the Maine Human Rights Act (MHRA) made under Mills’ tenure in office that have repurposed the term “gender identity” into a powerful weapon to advance transgender ideology throughout public institutions, including government-run schools and entities that receive taxpayer dollars.
As a result of the aggressive enforcement of transgender ideology vis-a-vis the redefined MHRA, the Maine Principal’s Association (MPA), which governs interscholastic athletics, has adopted policies that force female athletes to compete against male athletes who say they are transgender. Schools have similarly adopted policies that force females to share private spaces, such as bathrooms and locker rooms, with males who identify as females.
President Trump’s Feb. 5 executive order — Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports — had the effect of prohibiting states from forcing women to compete against males. States that continue to enforce such policies, like Maine, are now in violation of Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 (Title IX), commonly known as Title Nine.
Trump has said he’ll use the withdrawal of federal funding as a tool to encourage states to comply with his order. That’s a strong incentive, considering Maine’s state government relies on federal funding for 35-40 percent of its total spending, depending on how you calculate it.
When asked whether Maine would comply with his policy protecting female-only spaces and activities, Gov. Mills struck a combative tone, insisted that Maine’s gender identity law trumped federal law, and suggested the matter would be settled in litigation.
“We’ll see you in court,” a testy Mills told Trump on February 21.
After that showdown three weeks ago, and the subsequent censure of Rep. Libby, Mainers who traveled from around the state to attend Saturday’s rally had a message for Mills as well.
“What if they were your daughters,” Zeb Beal of Topsham said he’d ask the governor if he had the chance. Beal pulled his two daughters out of public schools because of growing concerns about questions like the one about transgenders in sports sports which he had “never thought would be an issue.”
“Listen to the parents of this state, it’s that basic,” Beal said.
Kim from Scarborough held a sign that simply read: “Girls Rock.”
“I grew up during the women’s rights movement,” Kim said, referencing the Title IX protections that federal agencies have now cited Maine for violating by its policies on who can participate in female sports. “It’s really gone full circle,” she noted, “and not in a good way. More people need to stand up.”
As their daughter Cassidy spoke to the crowd, her parents from Presque Isle stood with their backs to the Cross Building, watching proudly. They had a long drive home ahead of them but for now, hearing their daughter speak up for herself and other girls, they felt, was worth it.
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