Maine Girls’ Sports Debate Returns As Activists Push For 2027 Ballot Measure

Two Maine high school girls are scheduled to speak publicly Monday about their experiences competing against transgender athletes as supporters of a proposed state ballot measure prepare to submit nearly 5,000 additional signatures.

The Nov. 2 news conference in Augusta comes one day before Maine voters head to the polls in a closely watched U.S. Senate election. The campaign renews a debate that drew national attention in early 2025 after President Donald Trump confronted Democratic Gov. Janet Mills over transgender participation in girls’ sports.

The Protect Girls Sports in Maine ballot committee is seeking to place its proposal before voters in 2027. An earlier petition effort fell 532 valid signatures short of qualifying for the current election cycle. Monday’s event is expected to feature two female athletes from Windham High School and Fryeburg Academy, along with their parents, representatives from Alliance Defending Freedom and members of the Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS).

ICONS co-founder Kim Jones said in a statement ahead of the event, "It’s appalling and shameful what these girls and hundreds of others have endured in Maine, and we are so glad they reached out for support."

"Their stories are a historical dark mark on Maine’s treatment of its women and girls," Jones said.

"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," she continued. "There should be no male students on girls’ teams, and no male students in girls’ restrooms and locker rooms."

Maine Girls’ Sports Ballot Initiative Seeks New Path To Voters

The proposed measure, titled "An Act to Designate School Sports Participation and Facilities by Sex," would establish rules governing eligibility for designated school sports and access to bathrooms and other private spaces based on students’ sex as recorded on their original birth certificates.

The proposal would also give students the ability to sue schools over violations of its provisions.

Leyland Streiff, the ballot committee’s principal officer and a leader of Maine Girl Dads, said approximately 100 volunteers gathered the additional signatures during the previous month.

"Despite needing only 532 more signatures to make the 2027 ballot, the committee is submitting almost 5,000," Streiff said in the event announcement.

The newly collected signatures must undergo official review before the proposal can qualify for the 2027 ballot.

The campaign’s latest effort follows a legal dispute over its original petition. According to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, organizers submitted 79,692 signatures in February. Election officials initially determined that the petition had enough valid signatures to advance.

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A subsequent challenge led to a revised count that left the campaign below the required threshold of 67,682 valid signatures. The dispute involved 1,520 signatures collected by four circulators who lived outside Maine and had not obtained timely consent to the jurisdiction of Maine courts. The state’s highest court upheld the decision to invalidate those signatures on July 10.

Organizers said they pursued a federal court challenge while gathering additional signatures for another ballot attempt in 2027.

Retired professional soccer player Carly Smolak is also scheduled to appear with ICONS in support of the initiative.

"I am honored to stand beside these courageous soccer players to stand 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," Smolak said in the announcement.

Trump And Maine Gov. Janet Mills Clashed Over Transgender Athletes

Maine became a focus of the national debate in February 2025 after a transgender athlete from Greely High School won the girls’ Class B indoor pole-vault championship. Greely also secured the girls’ team championship by one point.

On Feb. 21, Trump confronted Mills during a White House governors’ event over the state’s refusal to follow his executive order barring transgender athletes from female sports. Trump threatened to withhold federal funding, while Mills said she would follow state and federal law.

"See you in court," Mills told the president.

The Maine Principals’ Association maintained that its participation policy complied with the Maine Human Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on gender identity.

Mills subsequently defended her response as opposition to presidential overreach. She argued that Trump could not withhold funding appropriated by Congress to compel the state to meet his demands.

The renewed ballot campaign is now unfolding as Maine prepares for another closely watched election.

Susan Collins And Troy Jackson Take Different Positions On Transgender Sports

Republican Sen. Susan Collins is facing Democratic former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson in the Nov. 3, 2026, U.S. Senate election. The contest could play a role in determining which party controls the chamber.

Collins voted in March 2025 to advance the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. In March 2026, while explaining her support for a similar amendment, she said her position had long been that "transgender athletes should not compete in girls’ and women’s athletics."

Jackson voted in June 2023 to accept a committee recommendation against passing LD 930, legislation that sought to restrict participation in women’s and girls’ scholastic sports.

In an April 2026 questionnaire during his gubernatorial campaign, Jackson also answered "No" when asked whether he supported a transgender sports ban and dismantling other protections under the Maine Human Rights Act.

Maine Activists Plan To Continue Campaign Through Courts And Elections

Jones said supporters intend to keep pursuing the issue through elections and other available channels.

"The feelings of boys do not take precedence in the areas and opportunities set aside to let girls thrive," she said. "An ever-growing wave of public support exists to ensure that girls in blue states have a light at the end of the tunnel."

"The men who want to protect their daughters, the young female athletes, and the public are not going to let up," Jones continued. "The courts, the voting booth, the media and every other available tool will be used to ensure that these girls are not shoved into the shadows to be harassed and ignored."

The news conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. Eastern on Monday, Nov. 2, at the Welcome Center in the Maine State Capitol Building in Augusta. Organizers plan to deliver prepared remarks followed by a brief question-and-answer session.