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.
THIS will be the defining moment of the defeat of the democrat party in Maine .
No one but LGBT queers and activists think this is right , correct , or fair .
There are MORE OF US NORMAL PEOPLE than there are of them , and that includes even a few democrats who have an ounce of common sense . Democrats WILL BE DEFEATED in 2026 on the basis of this issue alone . The financial ruin their party has caused our state has not gone unnoticed either .
It’s time for change in Augusts before the insanity of this “ trans nonsense “ absolutely destroys our state
Vote Republican to make this all go away .
I pray that everyone remember all this BS come November 2026, this state needs to get the democrats out of office!
Keep them out of sports and their propaganda out of the classroom. Instead of shoving LGBTQ studies down the throat of five year olds, please teach them how to read, write and do math. Maybe the state’s scores will improve.
It’s time to get rid of Queen janet and her liberal democratic kingdom!
I would like to apologize to all the girls and women of the state of Maine .
I am ashamed to have voted for democrats for most of my life .
I was raised and educated here in Maine . I have watched my state turn into something that I no longer recognize . My party no longer represents MY Christian values .
I understand the power of numbers and for that reason I WILL NEVER vote for another democrat again ,even those that I have supported in the past . My party has turned into something that I no longer recognize . I will vote for republicans in 2026 . Once again , I apologize for my past votes .
Well, that’s your problem – verbal complaining WILL NOT WORK. Instead, you and a few other girls who don’t like it bring crowbars and hammers into the changing room and use them to demolish that biological male.
Will Republicans Mike Soboleski and Katrina Smith also be censured/silenced by the Democrats for their role in this rally? We’re living in a totalitarian state.
Vote our Brite Bulb leadership out every next election.
Stop democrat corruption, hate, and violence against women!
Augusta burns their own out. I wouldn’t expect anything useful from them.
Janet Mills wrote a book, “How Destroy a State With Democrat Help In Only 8 Years”
Getting democrats out of power in our state is imperative. Calling dem Reps should be on all Mainers weekly schedule telling them they are imbeciles and do NOT represent us. Running our state into serious debt, spending our tax dollars on illegals and turning Maine into a third world welfare shithole is nothing for them to be proud about, yet they are. Throw the CCP gangs in,than add males being allowed to pretend they are females being shoved down our throats and endangering girls and womens lives should get everyone to vote straight republican forever. Never again let this happen to our once beautiful state. I was born and brought up here and in my 60s, never have I seen it so badly run and frankly embarrassing.
Thank you Mike, Katrina and Heidi for organizing this!!
As long as Mills is gov, Maine and girls sports programs are fuct.
Maimers, take back your state!
There are over 47,000 high school student-athletes in Maine. Of those 47,000+, only 2 are trans. Yet here we are having a fit about that while 100s of rape kits go untested and sexual assaults happen daily. Republicans are the party of prevented priorities. That’s right, Trump under oath said he has the right to grab any women he wants by her pussy. Don’t take my word for it – watch the recorded deposition Trump gave in the E.Jean Carroll trial. So all you Republican guys and girls approve of sexual assault.
@ Mike, and Kamala proved his point ask Willie Brown.
I’d like to believe this would be a defining moment about how evil Maine’s Democrats are but the local tv channels and the Soros owned papers won’t cover this except to try to say the people sticking up for the safety and well being and fairness for girls and women are transphobic or some other made up term. They love to cover for Mills & co.
Maine Wire is the only operation committing actual acts of journalism
Wasn’t Janet there to defend all her “step daughters ” & step grandkids !????? …. someone must have saw her there lurking around. Guess dirty laundered money is more important to the wonderful ethical gov….
See what happens when you send retards to Augusta?
I think these recent protests go deeper than boys playing girls sports. Keep up the Saturday protests as opposed to the week day protests subsidized by Democrat criminal organizations.
I am starting to agree with Trump on this one. Democrats are a terrorist organization.
Will someone please ask Governor Mills, for the record, if she is a female woman?
If she answers yes, follow up with the question how do you know?
If she won’t answer, ask her why? And what it says on her DL? And her Passport?
I hear talk that there is one town/school district that is considering becoming the first in the nation, to become a sanctuary town/school district for WOMEN. Where men are men and women are women. Go 54.
Only buy Girl Scout cookies from authentic girls.
Unreasonable people will not even listen to a reasonable conversation! They block it out or scream or blow a whistle!! They will never be convinced!! They have to be defeated! Banished to the wilderness! Never to emerge again! Janet and the dems must go in 26! C’mon man!!