News and analysis right to your inbox. Click to get Ballotpedia’s newsletters!

Maine Birth Certificate Sex Requirement for Public School Sports Initiative (2026)

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Maine Birth Certificate Sex Requirement for Public School Sports

Flag of Maine.png

Election date

November 3, 2026

Topic
Athletics and sports and LGBTQ issues
Status

Signatures submitted

Type
Indirect initiated state statute 		Origin

Citizens


The Maine Birth Certificate Sex Requirement for Public School Sports Initiative may be on the ballot in Maine as an indirect initiated state statute on November 3, 2026.

Overview

The ballot initiative would require that public school sports teams designated for girls or boys be limited to students of the corresponding sex, as recorded on their original birth certificate. The ballot initiative would also require public schools to maintain separate restrooms, locker rooms, shower rooms, and other private spaces for each sex.[1]

Schools would be required to designate athletic teams as male, female, or coeducational. Girls would be allowed to participate on male-designated teams when no female-designated team is available for that sport.[1]

The ballot initiative would allow students who are denied athletic opportunities or suffer direct injuries due to violations of the initiative to bring a civil action for injunctive relief, damages, and attorney’s fees against a school or the organization that governs interscholastic or competitive school sports.[1]

Text of measure

Full text

The ballot initiative would amend the Maine Revised Statutes. The following underlined language would be added and struck-through language would be deleted:[1]

Note: Use your mouse to scroll over the text below to view the ballot language.

Sec. 1. 5 MRSA §4602, sub-§5, as enacted by PL 2021, c. 366, §19, is amended to read:

5. Application. Nothing in this section:

A. Requires an educational institution to provide separate athletic or other extracurricular programs to serve a person with a physical or mental disability;

B. May be construed to affect the rights of a person with a physical or mental disability to special education programs under state or federal law;

C. Requires a religious corporation, association or society that does not receive public funding to comply with this section as it relates to sexual orientation or gender identity; or

D. Requires an educational institution to participate in or endorse any religious beliefs or practices; to the extent that an educational institution permits religious expression, it cannot discriminate between religions in so doing.; or

E. May be construed to conflict with the provisions of Title 20-A, section 4017.

Sec. 2. 20-A MRSA §4017 is enacted to read:

§4017. Participation in interscholastic and competitive sports; privacy in facilities

1. Short title. This section may be known and cited as "the Protect Girls' Sports in Maine Act."

2. Definition. For the purposes of this section, “sex” means a person’s biological status as male or female recorded at birth on the person’s original birth certificate.

3. Designation of athletic teams. A public school subject to this Title, or an entity that governs interscholastic or competitive sports by public schools in the State, shall expressly designate athletic teams as one of the following:

A. “Males,” “boys” or “men”;

B. “Females,” “girls” or “women”; or

C. “Coeducational” or “mixed.”

4. Eligibility. The following provisions govern eligibility.

A. Athletic teams designated for females, girls or women must be restricted to students whose sex is female.

B. Athletic teams designated for males, boys or men must be restricted to students whose sex is male.

C. Athletic teams designated as coeducational or mixed must be open to all eligible females and males.

D. A female student may participate on an athletic team designated for males, boys or men if no athletic team designated for females, girls or women is available in that sport.

5. Privacy in facilities. A public school shall maintain separate restrooms, locker rooms, shower rooms and other private spaces for each sex. A member of one sex may not be permitted to use a facility designated for members of the opposite sex.

6. Construction with Maine Human Rights Act. Separation of athletic teams and private spaces by sex under this section does not constitute unlawful discrimination under Title 5, chapter 337.

7. Americans with Disabilities Act protections. Notwithstanding any other provision of this section to the contrary, an individual born with a biologically verifiable disorder or difference in sex development must receive all legal protections and accommodations afforded under federal law, including the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 United States Code, Section 12101 et seq.

8. Civil enforcement. A student who is deprived of an athletic opportunity or suffers direct injury because of a violation of this section may bring a civil action for injunctive relief, damages and attorney’s fees against a school or entity.

Sec. 3. Effective date. This Act takes effect January 1, 2027.[2]

Support

Protect Girls Sports in Maine is leading the campaign in support of the ballot initiative.[3] Petitioners named the ballot initiative the Protect Girls' Sports in Maine Act.[1]

Supporters

Officials

Former Officials

Political Parties

Organizations

  • Maine Girl Dads

Individuals

Arguments

  • Kristina Parker, Communications Director of the Maine Republican Party: "Maine's Democrat legislature and governor has refused to comply with Title IX and has forced the hand of Mainers to take upon the task. Many claim that only a handful of trans athletes doesn't matter, however there are thousands of female athletes who desire equal and uniform standards. It affects all of us. We want everyone to be safe and be able to play a fair game."
  • Protect Girls' Sports in Maine: "The truth is, males are currently in female sports, taking female trophies, and invading female safe spaces (like locker rooms and bathrooms). This is not a far away concept; it is happening right here in Maine. Concerned parents have brought these issues to their school boards, but the Maine Principal’ Association and State Legislature have failed to act. It’s now time that we – as citizens of this great state – decide for ourselves what we want for our kids."


Opposition

Opponents

Candidates

Organizations

  • American Academy of Pediatrics, Maine Chapter
  • Equality Maine
  • Maine Council on Aging
  • Maine Women’s Lobby

Arguments

  • Gia Drew, Executive Director of Equality Maine: "There are significant challenges to ensuring our public schools are funded and prepare young people to become productive adults in a wonderfully diverse global world, but singling out a marginalized group of children is beyond reproach and not part of the solution In fact doing so makes schools less welcoming and safe for all kids."
  • Destie Hohman Sprague, Executive Director of Maine Women’s Lobby: "This is not a Maine-based problem. This is a national agenda where they have identified a really targeted community that they can use to exclude the rest of us. My biggest worry is what it is going to look and feel like to have children’s bodies and what’s under their clothes dissected by people in the public for a full year."


Campaign finance

See also: Ballot measure campaign finance, 2026
The campaign finance information on this page reflects the most recent scheduled reports that Ballotpedia has processed, which covered through January 15, 2026. The deadline for the next scheduled reports is April 28, 2026.


Safeguard Girls Sports registered as the committee in support of the measure.[4] As of January 15, 2026, no committees had registered in opposition to the measure.

Cash Contributions In-Kind Contributions Total Contributions Cash Expenditures Total Expenditures
Support $800,000.00 $0.00 $800,000.00 $790,100.00 $790,100.00
Oppose $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Total $800,000.00 $0.00 $800,000.00 $790,100.00 $790,100.00

Support

The following table includes contribution and expenditure totals for the committee in support of the measure.[4]

Committees in support of Birth Certificate Sex Requirement for Public School Sports
Committee Cash Contributions In-Kind Contributions Total Contributions Cash Expenditures Total Expenditures
Safeguard Girls Sports $800,000.00 $0.00 $800,000.00 $790,100.00 $790,100.00
Total $800,000.00 $0.00 $800,000.00 $790,100.00 $790,100.00

Donors

The following is the top donor who contributed to the support committees.[4]

Donor Cash Contributions In-Kind Contributions Total Contributions
Richard Uihelin $800,000.00 $0.00 $800,000.00


Path to the ballot

Process in Maine

See also: Laws governing ballot measures in Maine

An indirect initiated state statute is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that amends state statute. There are nine (9) states that allow citizens to initiate indirect state statutes.

While a direct initiative is placed on the ballot once supporters file the required number of valid signatures, an indirect initiative is first presented to the state legislature. Legislators have a certain number of days, depending on the state, to adopt the initiative into law. Should legislators take no action or reject the initiative, the initiative is put on the ballot for voters to decide.

In Maine, the number of signatures required for an indirect initiated state statute is equal to 10% of the total votes cast for governor in the last gubernatorial election prior to the filing of such petition. As an indirect process, the Legislature has until the end of the legislative session to approve the initiative after signatures are certified. If the legislature approves the initiative and the governor approves it, the measure becomes law. If the legislature does not approve the initiative, or if the governor vetoes the measure, it goes to voters for approval. A simple majority vote is required for voter approval.

The requirements to get an initiated state statute certified for the 2026 ballot:

Stage of this ballot initiative

The following is the timeline of the initiative:

  • November 4, 2025: The initiative petition was approved for signature gathering. Leyland John Streiff filed the petition.[5]
  • January 11, 2026: Protect Girls Sports in Maine reported that the campaign had gathered more than 78,000 signatures.[6]
  • February 2, 2026: Protect Girls Sports in Maine submitted more than 82,000 signatures in support of the measure.[7]

External links

See also

2026 ballot measures

View other measures certified for the 2026 ballot across the U.S. and in Maine.

Maine ballot measures

Explore Maine's ballot measure history, including citizen-initiated ballot measures.

Initiative process

Understand how measures are placed on the ballot and the rules that apply.

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Maine Secretary of State, "An Act to Designate School Sports Participation and Facilities by Sex," accessed November 4, 2025
  2. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source.
  3. ↑ Protect Girls Sports in Maine, "Homepage," accessed January 22, 2026
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Maine Ethics Commission, "Campaign Finance Search," accessed January 21, 2026
  5. ↑ Maine Secretary of State, "Current Citizen Initiatives and People’s Vetoes," accessed November 4, 2025
  6. ↑ WABI 5, "Petition to put a referendum about trans athletes on the Maine ballot has enough signatures, supporters say," accessed January 13, 2026
  7. ↑ Maine Public, "Group submits signatures for ballot question to ban transgender athletes in girls' sports," accessed February 3, 2026
Flag of Maine
v • e
State of Maine
Augusta (capital)
Elections

What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2026 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures

Government

Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy


Retrieved from "https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Maine_Birth_Certificate_Sex_Requirement_for_Public_School_Sports_Initiative_(2026)&oldid=11047704"