A Maine mother is facing threats of retaliation after protesting a school district’s decisions to let a biological boy play on the same basketball team as her 8-year-old daughter. On November 10, Katy Miller and other concerned parents and townspeople packed the St. George Select Board meeting to urge officials to reverse a decision that allowed a biological boy who identifies as a girl to play on a girls’ recreational basketball team. “Initially, we were concerned. We talked to our daughters and kind of got a read from them on how they felt. And we were all in agreement that we were just not on board with this,” Miller told Fox News.

Maine law prohibits municipalities to deny services to anyone based on gender identity. Maine also requires public accommodations to allow anyone to use a public restroom or locker room that “most closely aligns with their gender identity.” According to lawyer Colin Hurd, an attorney from the Maine Human Rights Commission, however, there can be exceptions. “Nevertheless, the commission does recognize that there may be occasions where the participation of a transgender person in athletic activities could pose a genuine risk of health and safety, to either the transgender person or to others,” he said.

For Miller, her daughter and other girls on the team did not feel safe with a biological boy on the team. “I know our girls mentioned the biggest thing that they were worried about was changing in a locker room. There’s been a lot of talk about how in the rec[reation] department, the girls don’t use the locker rooms. Well, if they don’t use the locker rooms, they use the bathrooms,” she said. Local parent Emily Chadwick read a letter during the November 10^th board meeting from parents opposed to having the transgender student play on the girls’ team. “While we understand that Maine law allows children to participate based on how they identify, we also believe that these policies have created a very uncomfortable situation for many families in our community. At eight and nine years old, these children are still very young, and parents are doing their best to guide them through sensitive topics that most of us never imagined would be part of youth sports at this age,” the letter stated.

The board voted 3-2 to allow the boy to play on the team. The move forced parents like Miller to withdraw their girls from the league and start their own private league, which has been costly to the parents. ““It has taken a toll. I have received a lot of pushback, but for me, it’s more important all day long to protect these girls, especially my daughter. And you know, it’s kind of the mama bear instinct, right?” said Miller. “When, you know, people come knocking, and they want to, you know, do things like this, you stand your ground, and that’s what we’re doing. We’re standing our ground, no matter the pushback.” Miller stated she has also received threats, with some stating she should “would be better off dead.”

A December 17 board meeting erupted into further outrage when parents were made aware of explicit books that were being kept in the school library, including Gender Queer, which has received backlash for its explicit drawings and instructions on how to engage in sexual behavior. Parents’ rights activist Nicholas Blanchard, Sr. attended the meeting and read from Gender Queer, causing Mike Lunt, who is applying to be the St. George fire chief, to charge him and yell while Blanchard read explicit quotes from the book. Community members are demanding the book be removed, as well as that the school adhere to President Trump’s Title IX rules, which state players must play on the team that matches their biological sex.

The school states it has no intention to put teachers’ lesson plans online.  The school board has asked the school superintendent to review and clarify its policies. “The purpose of this work is to promote clear communication with families about classroom topics while honoring teachers’ professional judgment and recognizing the diverse values and beliefs families bring to their children’s education,” according to superintendent Christina Wotton. Steve Cartright, a member of the town select board committee, supported the school’s decision to allow the biological male to play. “I am sorry that local parents are not more tolerant of children who identify with a gender different from their anatomy at birth,” he said. “I think we need to support a school, community and society that includes all children, and doesn’t exclude or punish them for their gender identity.”