This week at the ACLU of Maine: A public hearing at the State House about trans student athlete bans, preparing for an upcoming hearing on data privacy bills, and reflecting on the first 100 days of the Trump presidency.

Hundreds of people testify against anti-trans bills at public hearing

On Thursday, the Judiciary Committee held a public hearing on several bills aimed at restricting the rights of trans people in Maine, most of which targeted trans young people. The hearing drew hundreds of people from around the state who testified from 9:30 a.m. until midnight.

The overwhelming majority of speakers voiced strong opposition to the legislation, highlighting how these bills would violate the Maine Human Rights Act and undermine efforts to make schools safe, inclusive, and supportive environments for all. The ACLU of Maine was there to testify against the bills that would restrict gender affirming care, ban transgender girls from school athletics, and remove gender identity protections from the Maine Human Rights Act. 

Despite the strong showing of opposition at the public hearing, these bills are still under consideration. There is still time to make your voice heard by urging lawmakers to vote against these bills. Click below to take action and tell lawmakers to protect freedom, privacy, and bodily autonomy for all.

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Learn More About These Bills

ACLU prepares for initial votes on important data privacy bills

Next week, Maine lawmakers will likely take an initial vote on several bills that would affect data privacy for all people in Maine. There are several bills on the table, but only LD 1822 would be a comprehensive protection and expansion of Mainers' data privacy rights. 

LD 1822 includes important features that would protect us. It would:

• Limit data collection: Companies would only be able to collect the minimum data necessary to provide a good or service – nothing more.

• Protect biometric data: Enact stronger safeguards to protect against lifelong identity theft through fingerprints, palm scans, facial scanning, and more.
• Protect civil rights: Prevent AI-generated, and often biased, decisions on things like hiring, housing, loans, and more.
• Empower consumers: Give consumers control over their data, including the right to know who holds their data, the right to correct it, and the right to delete it.

Lawmakers need to hear your voice -- click below to fill out an action form that asks legislators to protect our privacy. 

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Learn More About These Data Privacy Bills

Reflecting on the first 100 days of Trump

The first 100 days of the Trump administration have been marked by chaotic policy changes, attacks on dissent, and efforts to punish those with differing views, undermining democratic principles and the rule of law. In response, the ACLU has taken over 100 legal actions against the administration. We're just getting started -- but we need your help. 

In an op-ed published in the Portland Press Herald last week, ACLU of Maine Executive Director Molly Curren Rowles called on Mainers to stay engaged, defend democratic values, and hold our leaders accountable. Read Molly's full op-ed here, and see ways you can help us take action here. 

Don't forget! This Saturday, May 10th, join us in Augusta for the Save Maine Absentee Voting campaign kick-off! Learn more here.

Relevant reads:

• Maine Morning Star: ‘Buckle up’: Data privacy bills back before Maine Legislature

• Bangor Daily News: Maine case could become the Supreme Court’s test in transgender athlete debate

• News Center Maine: ACLU of Maine weighs in on debate over Wells Police Department's contract with ICE

Over the last few weeks, Maine has made national headlines for refusing to comply with Trump’s demand to ban trans girls from playing school sports. In Augusta, lawmakers are considering bills that would make these bans a reality.  

Watch the public hearing on Thursday, May 8. Read our testimony to lawmakers in the PDFs at the bottom of this page.

Right now at the State House, lawmakers are considering bills that would ban transgender girls from participating in school sports. These proposals are being sold as ways to “protect fairness” and “keep kids safe.” But here's the truth: they do neither. In fact, they directly contradict the protections guaranteed to children by the Maine Human Rights Act and would make our schools less supportive and inclusive for all students.

The Maine Human Rights Act became law in 1971. It was expanded in 2005 to protect gender identity and gender expression under the definition of sexual orientation. This means transgender students can participate fully in school life – including school sports – without fear of discrimination.  

When there was an attempt to undo these protections in 2005, Mainers overwhelmingly voted in a referendum to keep them in place. This speaks volumes about who we are as a state – time and again, Mainers champion inclusion, belonging, privacy, and the freedom to live authentically. These strong Maine values are reflected in our laws, have passed at the legislature, and have been reaffirmed directly by the voters. 

Banning trans girls from playing school sports would chip away at those values and violate the protections in the Maine Human Rights Act. This legislation would harm all girls. For instance, girls whose appearance, femininity, behavior, or interests don't conform to arbitrary and subjective standards of what it means to be a girl will become targets of scrutiny, bullying, and intrusive questioning. 

A world in which children’s bodies are up for public debate is not a safe and inclusive one. Our state has a long history of protecting individual rights, from reproductive freedom to marriage equality. We consistently support the idea that all people should have control over their bodies and their lives, without political or governmental interference. Allowing the government to dictate who can participate in public life or how we should manage our bodies is a blatant and dangerous rollback of these values.   

Every child should be able to show up as their full self – on the field, in the classroom, and in life. That’s why we're urging our lawmakers to vote against transgender athlete bans and OPPOSE LDs 233, 868, and 1134.   

As these bills move through the legislature, we need your help. Talk to your friends, family, community, and legislators about how these bills threaten the safety, privacy, and bodily autonomy of all girls – and open the door to even deeper attacks on our right to live authentically and control our own bodies. You can also take action by adding your name to the hundreds of others urging lawmakers to protect the Maine Human Rights Act.