The small town of St. George, Maine voted recently to continue compliance with the state’s Human Rights Act by allowing a transgender child to play on a girls’ basketball team. The vote took place on Nov. 10 after a group of parents submitted a letter for review at an earlier monthly meeting of the Select Board on Nov. 4. Parents voiced their concern with the St. George’s Parks & Recreation Department’s decision to include a transgender girl’s participation in a youth basketball program. The child plays on the third and fourth grade teams.
One local parent read the group’s letter during a meeting on Nov. 4. “While we understand that Maine law allows children to participate [in sports] based on how they identify, we also believe that these policies have created a very uncomfortable situation for many families in our community.” However, none of the parents directly addressed or mentioned the trans child in question, or even specified what specifically they were concerned about, according to LGBTQ Nation.
After hearing the concerns of the public, the board decided on Nov. 10 to continue allowing the girl to participate on the recreational team. LGBTQ Nation reports that Colin Hurd, deputy counsel for Maine’s Human Rights Commission clarified what state law protects.
“Under the Maine Human Rights Act, it’s illegal to prevent a person from playing sports on the team of their gender identity solely because their sex assigned at birth is different from the people that they will be playing with or against,” Hurd said. “Furthermore, under the same provision it’s illegal to prevent a person from using the restroom or locker room that most closely corresponds with their gender identity. So, the law, the Human Rights Act, is pretty unequivocal on these matters.”
St. George’s Select Board act as a Board of Assessors, a licensing authority and deals with town matters including finances, taxes, infrastructure and more. Following the meeting, board members reiterated that the board is not allowed to “determine or debate the law” and that the group has historically voted to align itself with state laws, even if members disagree.
