By Ray Cardello for March 25, 2025, Season 31 / Post 22

On a cold, windy Sunday in March, hundreds of people, many festooned in rainbow garb, rallied on the Cumberland Commons, across the street from the Greeley Schools, in support of transgender athletes in girls’ sports. On the surface, you might say this was an impressive turnout for a worthy cause, except it is far from a worthy cause. No matter where the poll is taken, 80% do not support boys who have transgendered to participate in girls sport. These enthusiastic demonstrators did not get the memo, and unfortunately, the media covers these demonstrations as if these folks represent the majority. It is a total sham, from organizers to the media.

Most issues have two sides to evaluate, but not this one. The controversy over transgender boys competing against girls has many facets. Let’s break it down.

1. The State of Maine identifies as a sanctuary state for adolescents who desire hormone therapy or surgery to transition to the opposite gender. In my mind, the state and the parents of these young, confused children are both wrong and should be charged with child endangerment. If an adult wants to transition, then so be it. They are adults and free to choose as long as their actions do not injure or damage another individual. To be proud of your son, who now identifies as a girl, competing and beating girls in sport is warped. How can you condone or be proud of that scenario?
2. There are contact and non-contact sports, and they have different safety concerns. Swimming, running, and many track/field events do not involve direct danger. The injury propensity is off the charts in sports like basketball, volleyball, or boxing. The volleyball case where a “man” spikes the ball into the young girl’s face should be enough to solve the argument itself. This girl has some permanent injuries she will have to deal with her entire life because a bigger, stronger boy wants to identify as a girl and compete in the girl’s arena. It is wrong; boys competing with girls should be stopped without debate and should alarm everyone. What do the parents of that boy say to the parents of the injured girl? I will bet that conversation never took place.
3. Whether high school or college, female student-athletes devote much of their lives to their chosen sport, often with the hope of scholarship monies to aid with education costs. When a “boy” competes against girls and steals the top podium, the girls who come in behind the biological boy have been disenfranchised. Riley Gaines was the premier swimmer in the country. Still, she was denied a National Championship when a boy, a mediocre swimmer when competing against boys, won by many body lengths because he was taller, stronger, and a far superior swimmer than the female swimmers in the pool.
4. The numbers do not add up. Even though Maine makes itself attractive to your people in transition, a rally of hundreds to draw attention to two male athletes posing and competing as females does not make sense. There is no argument for these athletes, except they have the right to identify as whatever sex they want and compete as such. Who gives them that right? Nobody!
5. The final argument is monetary. As long as LGBTQ activists stick to their guns and continue to promote males competing as females, they are putting Maine in jeopardy of losing $400M per year in federal funds, which will harm every student-athlete in Maine. I guess they have brought equality to the situation.