CUMBERLAND — Greely High School senior Vigolia Walsh stepped up to the microphone Sunday in her local town square to address hundreds who had gathered to show their support for the LGBTQIA+ community.
“Donald Trump and all that support his administration think that they can instill hate into our school,” she said. “Here’s when we say we refuse your hateful ways, your bigoted mindset and your just plain meanness.”
As Walsh and others spoke, people clapped and cheered, wearing “Protect Trans Youth” stickers, waving pride flags, and sporting t-shirts that read “See You in Court.”
Others held signs in support of Gov. Janet Mills, who told President Donald Trump last month that she would see him in court following an exchange over whether transgender girls should be allowed to compete on girls’ sports teams.
Then on Saturday, Trump took to social media to call for a “full throated apology” from Mills who told him she would follow state and federal law with regard to transgender participation in sports.
Since their exchange, the federal government has launched at least three investigations into Maine’s policy regarding transgender sports participation. Mills has said the state’s human rights act protects Mainers based on gender identity and that she does not believe any president can pull funding from a state because he disagrees with a particular policy.
The Trump administration has briefly pulled funds from the University of Maine, before reversing course, finding that the university is following NCAA guidelines on sports participation.
But last week, the federal Department of Health and Human Services told Greely High School, the Maine Principals’ Association and the Maine Department of Education that they have 10 days to come into compliance with federal anti-discrimination laws or face a potential lawsuit.
On Sunday, Leah McDonald, one of the organizers of the Cumberland event, said she’s “ashamed and angry” at what’s happening to the state and her local school district.
“We are here today to stand up against the threats and the bullies,” she said. “We are here today to stand up in solidarity with LGBTQIA+ students, neighbors and community members.”
McDonald said she knows that the issue of transgender participation in sports can be “divisive,” but that Sunday’s event was meant to show support for the transgender community.
“We are talking about the targeted bigotry of a hateful administration,” she said. “We are citizens of the United State of America, and we will not stand idly by in fear as our most basic rights are eroded.”
Just prior to the event, Pasha Marlowe, a therapist who works with LGBTQIA+ clients, said she hoped the large crowd sent a clear message to transgender students and others who feel fearful at this moment in history.
“I want youth to understand that even if society or government or folks in their family don’t accept them, they can still belong to themselves,” she said. “No matter where they go, they can belong if they belong to themselves. I want them to see how much support there is for them.”
A Cumberland resident, Marlowe said while she felt hopeful at the event on Sunday, it’s been a difficult past month.
“I think the people that this is for are the people that aren’t even here,” she said. “The people who are scared to come out, scared to share their identities, share their truth. It’s not a psychologically safe place to live in our society right now for a lot of people.”
