The Maine Secretary of State's office has validated the signatures of a petition aimed at creating a bill that would restrict transgender student-athletes from playing on sports teams that align with their gender identity.
According to WABI, the ‘Protect Girls Sports in Maine’ has gathered more than 82,000 signatures with more than 71,000 being validated by the Secretary of State’s office.
Leyland Streiff, of Protect Girls Sports in Maine and Principal organizer for the petition, told Maine Public Radio that the referendum is not a party line issue.
"We felt like a citizen initiative and ballot referendum is the way to handle this. What's more democratic than every Mainer gets to show up, have their voice heard in simple majority vote that determines what we do as a state moving forward," Streiff said.
The petitions seeks to create an act that would designate school sports participation and facilities by sex and would require all Maine schools to designate sports teams, bathrooms and locker rooms by a student’s assigned gender at birth.
The initiative will now go to the legislature for consideration. Lawmakers can either choose to enact the bill or send it for a referendum in November.
