Maine high school girls and their parents are set to speak publicly on Monday about their experiences competing against transgender athletes, coinciding with a renewed effort to place restrictions on girls' sports and school facilities before voters. The ballot committee, Protect Girls Sports in Maine, is submitting approximately 5,000 additional signatures in an attempt to qualify for the 2027 ballot, after their previous petition fell short by 532 valid signatures for the current election cycle.
The group's renewed push comes one day before Maine's closely watched Senate election, which features Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic former state Senate President Troy Jackson. The initiative, titled "An Act to Designate School Sports Participation and Facilities by Sex," aims to establish participation requirements for school sports and access to private facilities based on a student's sex as recorded on their original birth certificate. It would also allow for legal action against schools for violations.
Two female athletes from Windham High School and Fryeburg Academy are expected to participate in a news conference in Augusta alongside representatives from Alliance Defending Freedom and the Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS). Kim Jones, co-founder of ICONS, stated that the stories of these athletes represent a "historical dark mark on Maine’s treatment of its women and girls," emphasizing the need for "fair and safe sports, as well as privacy and dignity in places of undress."
Leyland Streiff, the ballot committee’s principal officer and a leader of Maine Girl Dads, reported that around 100 volunteers gathered the additional signatures. Despite needing only 532 more, the committee is submitting nearly 5,000. The signatures still require official review to determine if the initiative qualifies for the ballot.
This effort follows a period of litigation over the initial petition. Maine's Supreme Judicial Court invalidated over 1,500 signatures in July due to issues with out-of-state circulators not timely consenting to Maine courts' jurisdiction, a decision that led the petition to fall below the required 67,682 valid signatures. Organizers pursued a federal court challenge concurrently with collecting new signatures.
Retired professional soccer player Carly Smolak, who will also speak at the event, expressed her honor in supporting these athletes and standing up for "the right of every female athlete in Maine to know that her hard work, dedication and accomplishments will be honored and recognized, not overshadowed."
The issue gained national attention in February 2025 when a transgender athlete from Greely High School won the girls’ Class B indoor pole-vault championship, contributing to Greely High School winning the girls' team championship by one point. This event led to a confrontation between then-President Donald Trump and Maine Governor Janet Mills at a White House governors' event. Trump's administration had issued an executive order barring transgender athletes from female sports, but Mills stated she would adhere to state and federal law, leading to Trump threatening to withhold federal funding. Mills countered that Trump could not withhold congressionally appropriated funds to force state compliance.
The renewed ballot initiative effort occurs as the state's Senate race intensifies. Republican Sen. Susan Collins has previously supported measures like the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, stating her position that "transgender athletes should not compete in girls’ and women’s athletics." Her opponent, Troy Jackson, voted in June 2023 against legislation seeking to restrict participation in women's and girls' scholastic sports and, in a 2026 gubernatorial campaign questionnaire, answered "No" to supporting a transgender sports ban.
Advocates, such as Jones, maintain their commitment to advancing the issue through various means, including elections. "The feelings of boys do not take precedence in the areas and opportunities set aside to let girls thrive," Jones stated, adding that "an ever-growing wave of public support exists to ensure that girls in blue states have a light at the end of the tunnel."