Protect Girls Sports in Maine announced submitting over 82,000 signatures on Feb 3, 2026—exceeding the 67,682 required—to qualify a November ballot initiative mandating biological sex-based classifications for school teams & facilities, ensuring fairness for female athletes.
The initiative aims to require public schools and the Maine Principals’ Association to designate sports teams as male, female, or co-ed according to birth sex. Only those assigned female at birth would be eligible for girls’ teams. Facilities such as bathrooms and locker rooms would also be separated by birth sex. Supporters say this approach is intended to ensure fairness for female athletes and allow voters to decide athletic policies. According to WBUR, lead petitioner Streiff described the effort as “a historic citizen-led movement to let voters decide athletic policies.”
A March 2025 survey cited by LGBTQ Nation found that 64% of Maine voters oppose transgender student-athletes participating in school sports aligned with their gender identity, including a notable portion of Democratic voters. Spectrum Local News reported that Sofia Pride, a University of Maine freshman and former high school swim team captain who supports the initiative, said it ensures fair competition for girls. The Maine Wire noted that the state elections office must verify petitions before placing the measure on the ballot.
National polling referenced by a February 2025 White House press release indicated that 69% of Americans support keeping men out of women’s sports and 68% back government recognition of only two genders. LGBTQ Nation reported that national surveys show a plurality of Kamala Harris voters support trans sports bans. Ballotpedia said similar initiatives are advancing in Colorado, Nevada, and Washington with signature gathering underway for their respective 2026 ballots.
Protect Girls Sports in Maine describes itself as a grassroots committee focused on advancing policies that maintain biological sex-based divisions in school athletics and facilities. The organization partners with Maine Girl Dads to promote voter-driven solutions for fair competition in female sports and collected signatures statewide aiming for implementation starting January 1, 2027 if approved.
