Maine considers banning biology-based restrooms:
'Transgender ID' in schools under scrutiny by human-rights commission
by Michael Carl
15 February, 2010
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=125176 (http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=125176)
A proposal by the Maine Human Rights Commission to establish a broad right for "transgender" boys to use girls restrooms in all Maine schools will be the subject of a public hearing scheduled by the commission March 1.
The plan, if given ultimate approval by the commission, will establish mandatory transgender restroom access rules for all Maine schools. The proposal was prompted by a decision last year that found a school in Orono, Asa Adams School, discriminated against a boy by denying him access to the girls' restroom.
Thumbs up for my home state!
I doubt it will pass because change comes slowly in Maine, but it's definitely a step in the right direction.
Transgender guidelines stir controversy
New instructions from Maine Human Rights Commission could affect UM athletics
By Dylan Riley
Posted on Thursday, February 25th, 2010, 2:30 am
http://mainecampus.com/2010/02/25/transgender-guidelines-stir-controversy/ (http://mainecampus.com/2010/02/25/transgender-guidelines-stir-controversy/)
A draft of guidelines from the Maine Human Rights Commission that would inform schools and colleges of the rights of transgender students in Maine has sparked some debate about possible unintended consequences the guidelines could have on University of Maine athletics.
The guidelines are a clarification of Maine's Human Rights Act. "Sexual Orientation" was added as a protection of the act in 2005, and the guidelines explain in detail how schools and colleges should work with transgender students. The draft states that transgender students must be allowed access to bathrooms that "correspond with their gender identity" and to locker room accommodations that "meet their needs and that take into account the legitimate privacy of all students." The draft of the new guidelines is the product of a Dec. 15 work session hosted by the commission.