Kennebunk resident Tom Moyer asks the RSU 21 School Board to ban transgender student athletes from girls’ sports. Contributed / RSU 21 screenshot

Two Kennebunk residents recently asked the Regional School Unit 21 School Board to ban transgender athletes from sports, a request that drew pushback from other residents.

Tom Moyer, a resident and father of Kennebunk High School graduates, said he had a petition signed by 60 people affirming their opposition to allowing transgender girls to participate in girls’ sports.

Boys are excluded from girls’ sports for a number of reasons, Moyer said, including concerns over fairness and physical safety.

“This is not fair to girls,” Moyer said. “Boys, on average, are bigger, faster, stronger, and more powerful than girls, giving boys an athletic advantage.”

The district currently has a policy allowing transgender athletes to compete in sports on the team that aligns with their gender identity. Maine law also prohibits discrimination in education on the basis of gender identity.

However, Moyer said that the recent executive order from President Donald Trump, which seeks to ban transgender students from playing girls’ sports and women’s sports, should take precedence.

“Allowing students with boy bodies to compete against students with girl bodies creates competition that is not equitable,” Moyer said.

He received support from Arundel resident Rodney Sparkowich, who said he is also opposed to the “unsafe practice” of allowing biologically male students to compete in girls’ sports, regardless of what they “think of themselves.”

“Girls competing against biological boys is not safe,” Sparkowich said.

Sparkowich also said the idea of allowing transgender girls to use female private spaces, such as bathrooms and locker rooms, is unsafe. “Girls must have safe private spaces excluding biological boys,” Sparkowich said.

Other residents pushed back, saying that student athletes can get hurt in sports regardless of who they’re playing with or against.

Kennebunk resident Brian McGrath, who is the father of an RSU 21 student, said he is “fully supportive” of transgender athletes participating in the sport that matches their gender identity.

“The idea that someone would pretend to be another gender to gain competitive edge in their sport shows a woeful misunderstanding of transgender persons’ experiences,” McGrath said.

Melissa McCue-McGrath agreed, adding that athletes getting hurt is simply part of playing a sport. “We need to respect, honor, and protect our trans kids — full stop,” McCue-McGrath said.

Following the Trump Administration’s executive order, the National Collegiate Athletics Association announced that only athletes assigned female at birth would be able to play college women’s sports.

Despite this, the state of Maine will not follow Trump’s executive order. The Maine Department of Education said the order applies to Federal government agencies only, and does not inhibit the force of Maine law or locally-adopted school policies.

In a letter to the community, Superintendent Dr. Terri Cooper said RSU 21’s policy regarding transgender athletes is in line with state law and the Maine Human Rights Act, which means that the district does not discriminate based on gender identity or expression.

“Our policies continue to protect all students’ right to participate in athletics consistent with their gender identity while ensuring fair competition and opportunities for everyone,” Cooper said. “We remain dedicated to fostering an environment where every student-athlete can compete, learn, and grow with dignity and respect.”