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Senator Susan Collins Supports 2026 Referendum to Change Maine Transgender Student Policies
Senator Collins endorses a referendum requiring roughly 68,000 signatures to limit transgender students' participation in sports and use of private spaces, aligning with a contested Title IX view.
- On Nov. 23, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins signed a petition supporting a 2026 referendum to ban transgender students from sports and private spaces, her office confirmed she did so because she agrees with President Donald Trump's Title IX view.
- Organizers could start collecting signatures earlier this month and need roughly 68,000 registered-voter signatures by early February to qualify for the November 2026 ballot, after several bills failed earlier this year.
- The proposal would require Maine public schools to assign teams by sex at birth, restrict bathrooms and locker rooms, and allow students to file civil lawsuits over injuries or lost opportunities.
- The Trump administration is suing Maine and nearly two dozen states, threatening to pull federal funding; the case goes to trial this spring as the Maine Human Rights Commission sued five school districts last week.
- Public opinion is divided: a Pew survey found 49% support bathroom bans, and Collins's move is notable ahead of her 2026 re-election, citing three transgender students in Maine.
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Sen. Collins signs petition seeking to roll back trans student access to sports, facilities
Supporters march and wave signs after a rally in Cumberland, Maine on Sunday, March 23, 2025, calling on Maine lawmakers, and local MSAD51 school officials, to support transgender student athletes. (Photo by Troy R. Bennett/ Maine Morning Star)U.S. Sen. Susan Collins has signed a referendum effort seeking to bar transgender girls from participating on girls’ sports teams and from using girls’ bathrooms and locker rooms. The Republican’s signatu…
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Total News Sources6
Leaning Left3Leaning Right0Center3Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Left, 50% Center
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Left, 50% of the sources are Center
50% Center
L 50%
C 50%
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