Alicia Fiori of Lewiston argues in favor of the Maine values of caring for neighbors, and not getting involved in private affairs (“Transgender athletes measure goes against Maine values,” May 3). These values, she argues, allow transgender people to compete in sports under the gender they identify with.

Let me counter this position with a news report from 2023, “Transgender girl makes history with victory at cross country regional.” There we read about a school athlete who ran races as a male and later as a female. A competitor who finished third in the latter race was quoted as saying, “I want to say I’m totally supportive with everyone being whoever they want to be, but I feel like when you put people born male in girls’ races, it’s just genetically unfair.”

There are the Maine values of caring for neighbors and not getting involved in private affairs, and there is yet another Maine value: playing fair. Allowing someone who has an advantage over the rest of the field to compete violates that value of fairness.

William Vaughan, Jr.
Chebeague Island