On Monday, Nov. 2, a group of Maine high‑school girls, their families, and representatives from the Alliance Defending Freedom and the Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS) will speak at the Capitol Building’s Welcome Center in Augusta. The event comes one day before the state’s closely watched Senate election and marks the latest push to place a ballot measure restricting transgender athletes in girls’ sports on the 2027 ballot.
Ballot initiative details
The proposed amendment, titled “An Act to Designate School Sports Participation and Facilities by Sex,” would require schools to base sports team eligibility and access to bathrooms, locker rooms and other private spaces on the sex listed on a student’s original birth certificate. It also would give parents the right to sue schools that violate the rule.
Protect Girls Sports in Maine, the committee behind the effort, previously fell short of the signature threshold for the 2026 ballot, missing the goal by 532 valid signatures. After a court ruling that invalidated over 1,500 signatures collected by out‑of‑state circulators, the committee announced it has gathered nearly 5,000 additional signatures to meet the 2027 requirement.
Key participants
Kim Jones, co‑founder of ICONS, said the girls’ stories highlight a “historical dark mark” on how Maine treats women and girls. “We are proud to stand alongside these young female athletes and their families to unapologetically say that women and girls deserve fair and safe sports, as well as privacy and dignity in places of undress,” Jones said.
Retired professional soccer player Carly Smolak, also appearing with ICONS, emphasized the importance of recognizing female athletes’ accomplishments rather than allowing them to be eclipsed.
Leyland Streiff, the ballot committee’s principal officer and a leader of the Maine Girl Dads organization, noted that about 100 volunteers have been collecting signatures over the past month and that the group plans to submit the additional signatures for review.
Political backdrop
The issue resurfaced nationally in February 2025 when a transgender student from Greely High School won the girls’ Class B indoor pole‑vault championship, prompting a heated exchange between President Donald Trump and Democratic Governor Janet Mills. Trump warned that the federal government could withhold funding if Maine did not comply with his executive order barring transgender athletes from female sports, while Mills defended state compliance with existing law.
In the upcoming Senate race, Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who voted in March 2025 to advance the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, faces Democrat Troy Jackson, a former state Senate president who has opposed similar restrictions. Collins has repeatedly stated that transgender athletes should not compete in girls’ and women’s athletics, while Jackson voted against a 2023 bill that would have limited transgender participation.
Next steps
The signatures must still be reviewed by state election officials before the initiative can qualify for the 2027 ballot. If approved, the measure will likely become a focal point of the November 3, 2026, Senate campaign, with both candidates expected to address the issue as part of their broader platforms on family values and parental rights.
Organizers say they will continue to use the courts, the voting booth, and media outreach to ensure that the voices of girls and their families are heard across Maine.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
