Human Sexuality

Sponsor:  Representative Matthew Moonen

Bill Status: Referenced to the Committee on Health and Human Services. Voted out of Committee - majority voting ought to pass. 

Legislation: Full text HERE

Summary: This bill prohibits the MaineCare program from discriminating in its reimbursement for medically necessary treatment on the basis of a MaineCare member's gender identity, gender expression, or on the basis that the MaineCare member is a transgender individual and requires that the program cover medically necessary treatment for or related to gender dysphoria.

Reason for Opposition: There is both Biblical and scientific support for the fact that there are two biological sexes--male and female. We are assigned that sex at conception, and it is inseparable from our identity as a person. Taxpayers should not be forced, against their religious and philosophical convictions, to fund sex reassignment surgery or other therapies related to gender reassignment. 

Sponsor:  Representative Jeff Adams

Bill Status: Referenced to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs. Voted out of committee - majority voting ought not to pass. 

Legislation: Full text HERE

Summary:  This bill prohibits any student from joining or participating in an interscholastic or intramural athletic team or sports activity sponsored by an elementary or secondary school or postsecondary institution that is designated for "females," "women", or "girls", except for students of the female gender.

Reason for Support: There is both Biblical and scientific support for the fact that there are two biological sexes--male and female. The biological differences can be significant when it comes to height, weight, and even bone and muscle size and strength. Sports that depend on those physical characteristics to succeed have been traditionally divided along gender lines, ensuring athletic achievements of women can be fully realized. 

Resources: 

SCOTUS Now Has a Chance to Protect Women's Sports

White Paper Concerning Male Physiological and Performance Advantages in Athletic Competition and The Effect of Testosterone Suppression on Male Athletic Advantage

Sponsor: Representative Laurie Osher

Bill Status: Referenced to the Committee on Judiciary. Bill is currently tabled in Committee. 

Legislation: Full text HERE

Summary: This bill does far more than ensure gender-affirming care is accessible to a child. It supersedes the authority of parents / caretakers to the point of removal, prohibits compliance with laws in other states, and bans Maine from cooperating with law enforcement or the courts of other states. Specifically, the bill: 

1. Does not allow Maine to extradite anyone for the purpose of prosecution for violating another state’s ban on child gender transition. It also requires that Maine would not cooperate with any other state’s investigations into possible violations of such laws.

2. It removes the rights of parents and gives the State temporary emergency jurisdiction over minors from other states if they come to Maine for the purpose of undergoing gender transition.

3. It allows that anyone (teacher, social worker, coach, or another adult in a child’s life) can remove a child from their parent's custody for the purpose of facilitating gender transition and Maine courts can’t do anything about it. 

Reasons for Opposition: 

1. This bill doesn’t help kids, it harms them. Giving kids puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and transgender surgery violates the first duty of Medicine: do no harm. More detailed information about the science behind these treatments and their effect on kids can be found HERE.

2. This bill supersedes parents’ rights. If a child is not old enough to get a tattoo, go to a tanning salon, or buy cough syrup over the counter, why would we permit them to make their own decisions regarding life-altering hormones and drastic surgeries? This bill completely removes a parent's right to care for, provide guidance and even maintain custody of their child while sanctioning what is essentially kidnapping by another adult to help facilitate gender transition. 

3. This bill makes refusal to provide or allow gender-affirming care the same as abuse and mistreatment. Current law allows the state to take jurisdiction of a child who is “subjected to or threatened with mistreatment or abuse” but the new bill proposes to add, “or because the child has been unable to obtain gender-affirming health care or gender-affirming mental health care.” This puts a parent’s refusal to allow gender-affirming care in the same category as mistreatment or abuse. 

4. This policy is legally questionable. States have a constitutional obligation to assist other states in law enforcement matters and parents have rights to guide and care for their children. This bill strips both of those things

5. This makes Maine a sanctuary state for youth seeking gender transitions. Maine will join the ranks of California, Oregon, Washington, and Minnesota as one the leading states in the country for gender transition surgery for children. This bill makes Maine a sanctuary state for children (and the adults helping them) who are seeking gender transition services without the permission of their parents. 

6. This bill legalizes and protects kidnapping in Maine. The bill allows anyone to remove a child from the care of their parents in order to facilitate gender transition surgery, and no court in Maine can do anything about it.