It is ludicrous to think that a quick peek between a newborn’s legs at birth should determine its life trajectory. It is likewise ludicrous to think that our current president gives a whit about girls’ sports in Maine any more than he cares about our inmates. I do believe that he would pick a fight with our governor because she follows the rules of law rather than his whims.

In fact, I believe that he’d be willing to punish thousands of Mainers because a couple of transgender individuals chose to live with integrity in their own bodies, which is actually none of his business. This shouldn’t be a federal issue.

I appreciate the level-headed Mainers who have articulated their thoughts on the matter of transgender individuals in schools. I have every confidence that the Maine Principals’ Association can revisit the issues as appropriate.

However, Attorney General Bondi claims that the suits in Washington know more about gender in Maine than we do. She claims that the president “has the right to determine where money goes” in this matter. Yet Sen. Collins, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, affirms that it is Congress that holds the power of the purse.

Our federal government was deliberately built upon a system of checks and balances, each branch having distinct responsibilities, in order to avoid authoritarianism.

There was no mandate. Executive orders are not laws. No one individual should have the power to upset the planet. As Americans, we need to fix this. Together.

M-A Barker
Portland