Emotional debate on transgender rights, girls sports draws hundreds to Maine State House
Rep. Elizabeth Caruso, R-Caratunk, presents LD 868, a bill that would require school sports teams to be designated as male, female or coed, before members of the Judiciary Committee at the State House Thursday. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal AUGUSTA — The debate over transgender athletes competing in girls sports drew hundreds to the Maine State House […]
Rep. Elizabeth Caruso, R-Caratunk, presents LD 868, a bill that would require school sports teams to be designated as male, female or coed, before members of the Judiciary Committee at the State House Thursday. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
AUGUSTA — The debate over transgender athletes competing in girls sports drew hundreds to the Maine State House Thursday for a daylong series of public hearings on proposals to restrict participation and roll back gender identity protections in the state’s antidiscrimination law.
Bills taken up by the Judiciary Committee would cut state funding to schools that allow transgender athletes to participate in girls sports, require sports teams to be either male, female or coed, and prevent schools from allowing students to use restrooms that don’t correspond with the sex they were assigned at birth.
One bill would revise the Maine Human Rights Act to remove parts of the law that prohibit discrimination based on gender identity. School districts and the governing body of high school sports in Maine cite the law as why they allow students to participate in sports in a way that affirms their identity.
The hearings come after the Trump administration sued Maine last month for allowing transgender athletes to participate in girls sports, saying it violates a federal law protecting women from discrimination in education. The administration also has moved to cut off federal funding to the state until it bans trans athletes, although the state has so far fended off any cuts in court.
Two transgender athletes in Maine have attracted scrutiny amidst the national attention, although it’s unknown how many trans students are participating statewide. Soren Stark-Chessa, a high school junior from Falmouth, spoke about her experience as a transgender cross-country and track athlete while testifying against the bills Thursday.
“When I realized I was trans and started running on the girls team, my perspective underwent a huge shift,” Stark-Chessa said. “Now, I wasn’t just competing as a way to manage stress. I was being open about who I was and I was able to form connections and bonds through this wonderful activity.”
“In short, my world went from black and white to vibrant color when I was able to exist as my true self,” she added.
Students opposed to bills that would ban transgender athletes from girls sports and roll back discrimination protections demonstrated in the Maine State House Thursday. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
The Maine Principals’ Association, the nonprofit that oversees high school athletic competitions in Maine, also weighed in on the bills Thursday, testifying neither for not against them. The MPA adopted the policy allowing trans athletes, which state officials say is consistent with the state’s antidiscrimination law.
Jared Bornstein, a representative of the MPA, said the group will follow whatever laws the state or federal government establish. But he also asked the committee to make the law “fully one or the other and avoid the middle ground,” such as by allowing the MPA to decide transgender athlete participation on a case-by-case basis.
“It would be our preference to have either fully allowing or fully disallowing,” Bornstein said.
BILL SUPPORTERS: IT’S ABOUT FAIRNESS
The bills heard Thursday were submitted prior to the Trump administration’s lawsuit, although the national attention has intensified debate at the State House. All of the proposals are from Republican lawmakers.
Rep. Elizabeth Caruso, R-Caratunk, said Thursday that her bill, LD 868, requiring school sports teams to be designated as male, female or coed, and prohibiting transgender athletes from participating in girls’ sports, would bring Maine into compliance with Trump’s executive order on the issue and prevent a loss of federal funding.
Caruso’s bill also would require schools to designate restrooms and changing rooms for use by males or females only, based on sex assigned at birth.
“The heart behind this bill is to provide safety, fairness, privacy and a fair playing field where all students have the opportunity to participate in sports,” Caruso said.
People on the fourth floor watch as House Assistant Minority Leader Rep. Katrina J. Smith, R-Palermo, Rep. Elizabeth Caruso, R-Caratunk, and supporters hold a news conference before the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee heard a series of transgender bills. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
She said the bill isn’t about discriminating against transgender students.
“Every athlete can still play and use private spaces,” she said. “But we have to have parameters for what that is. Every athlete will have a choice of two teams to play on: the team of their biological sex or a co-ed or mixed team.”
Two other bills also heard Thursday, LD 1134 and LD 233, would prohibit schools that receive state funding from allowing transgender athletes to participate in girls’ sports.
Supporters of the bills argue that transgender girls have physical advantages and that allowing them to participate in girls’ sports puts other girls at a disadvantage, causing them to lose first-place medals and podium spots, and potentially get overlooked by college coaches.
Bianca Wright, a 17-year-old student from Benton, told the committee that her girls basketball team played a game last winter against a co-ed team that was mostly boys. The girls felt uncomfortable and one girl ended up sitting out the game after she was elbowed in the face, Wright said. They also lost.
“The reason I tell you this is to give you an example of what it would look like if men continue to play against women,” Wright said. “I feel men should not be able to compete in women’s sports for many reasons. They are physically built differently, they play more aggressively. … For all the girls who worked hard all year, it’s disappointing to lose to a biological male.”
OPPONENTS: ‘TRANS KIDS JUST WANT TO BE ACCEPTED’
Opponents — and some lawmakers — raised questions about how schools would enforce policies prohibiting transgender athletes from participating. Opponents also said the bills seek to address something that isn’t really a problem while also perpetuating harmful narratives about transgender people.
“These proposals target transgender students — a small, vulnerable group of young people who already face significantly higher rates of bullying, homelessness and suicide,” said Beth Lambert, a parent from Fairfield who has also worked as a teacher and school administrator.
She questioned how schools would figure out which students are transgender.
“Will there be forms to fill out?” Lambert asked. “Investigations to open? If a student is accused of being trans, who is responsible for verifying that? Will teachers or administrators be expected to examine birth certificates — or worse, body parts?”
Stark-Chessa was joined Thursday by her brother and mother, who also testified against the bills.
Susan Stark said she is an educator who has had transgender students in her classroom before, though she didn’t really understand what it meant to be transgender until her youngest child came out as trans. When that happened, she said her family was mostly met with acceptance and love, though they did encounter some negativity.
“I suspect this negativity came from a place of not understanding what it means to be trans,” Stark said. “Trans kids just want to be accepted as the gender they are. Acknowledging this certainly benefits trans people, but in fact it benefits all of us to know we will be accepted as we are.”
Ellsworth High School student Felix Markosian, third from left, testifies against the transgender bills during a hearing before Legislature’s Judiciary Committee Thursday. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
Felix Markosian, a senior at Ellsworth High School, told the committee that he received worried messages from trans friends earlier this week saying they didn’t know what they would do if the bills pass.
“Even these bills just being presented affects these kids so much,” Markosian said outside the hearing. “Even the thought of this becoming law and being the future is really scary and puts a lot of distress on these people. It’s not fair they have to go through that when every other kid in school doesn’t.”
Spokespeople for Gov. Janet Mills did not respond Thursday afternoon to questions about whether the governor has taken a position on any of the bills.
Attorney General Aaron Frey submitted testimony against the bills concerning transgender students in sports, as well as the bill expected to be heard later Thursday about removing gender identity from the Maine Human Rights Act.
HOW WOULD LAWS BE ENFORCED?
Some lawmakers on the Judiciary Committee also questioned how the bills presented Thursday would be enforced. The chairs of the committee, Sen. Anne Carney, D-Cape Elizabeth, and Rep. Amy Kuhn, D-Falmouth, both asked how schools would verify that a student is transgender.
Caruso said that students who play school sports already have to have doctor’s physicals, and that doctors could verify a student’s birth sex during the physical.
“What if the physician feels it’s their ethical duty to affirm the student’s identity and that is what is sent to the school?” Kuhn asked. “Would there be consequences for the physician? And when the form is submitted to the school, is that the end of it? What if the school or community have questions. Is there further investigation?”
“My understanding is the definition for sex has to do with their reproductive system, so the doctor I think has a duty to put on the form what they were born with,” Caruso said. “It’s sex, not gender, on the form. I think that makes it clear.”
She also noted that other states have adopted policies prohibiting transgender athletes in youth sports. Nationwide, 26 states ban transgender youth from participating in school sports consistent with their gender identity, according to the Movement Advancement Project, a nonprofit that tracks gender equality issues nationwide.
The Carbon Events and Recreation Complex (CERCUT) is inviting young athletes across the region to lace up their sneakers and join in on a series of summer sports camps geared toward youth ages 4 to 12. Four camps are scheduled throughout June and July, each focusing on a different sport. The goal is to teach […]
The Carbon Events and Recreation Complex (CERCUT) is inviting young athletes across the region to lace up their sneakers and join in on a series of summer sports camps geared toward youth ages 4 to 12.
Four camps are scheduled throughout June and July, each focusing on a different sport. The goal is to teach fundamentals, encourage physical activity and help young participants build confidence on and off the field. Each camp is $40 and registration is open now at Carbonrec.com.
The summer lineup kicks off with soccer camp, scheduled for June 23–25 from 8:30 to 11 a.m. Participants will be introduced to the basics of the game, including dribbling, passing and teamwork in a structured yet playful setting.
Next up is flag football, set for June 30 through July 2, also from 8:30 to 11 a.m. The non-contact format makes the camp safe and accessible, while still offering the excitement and strategy of traditional football.
Volleyball camp will take place July 14–16, continuing the 8:30 a.m. start time and wrapping up at 11 a.m. That same afternoon, from 1 to 3 p.m., CERCUT will also offer an inclusive volleyball camp, welcoming athletes of all abilities to participate in a supportive and adaptive environment.
The final camp on the schedule is basketball, which will run July 21–23 from 8:30 to 11 a.m., followed once again by an inclusive camp from 1 to 3 p.m. The sessions will focus on the fundamentals of dribbling, shooting, passing and court awareness.
The camps are about more than just learning a sport. These camps are a chance for kids to get outside, meet new friends and grow through play. It’s about building confidence and having fun while learning the basics of the game.
Parents are encouraged to register early, as space is limited. For more information or to sign up, visit Carbonrec.com.
The Columbus Youth Track team has begun practicing in preparation for their first meet of the season. The team was started in 2021 by one of Columbus’ fastest runners (some call him Columbus’ fastest man) Royce Caldwell. “Joining the CYS Family I was able to come in and start another youth sport, that I felt […]
The Columbus Youth Track team has begun practicing in preparation for their first meet of the season.
The team was started in 2021 by one of Columbus’ fastest runners (some call him Columbus’ fastest man) Royce Caldwell.
“Joining the CYS Family I was able to come in and start another youth sport, that I felt like our community needed,” Caldwell said. “I thank Larry Rooks and Brenda Garcia for allowing me to work with these kids as well as be a part of something special.”
He started the team as a way to give kids in the community something active to do in the summer. Columbus has been showing that they are full of summertime activities for kids in the community to be a part of and win some trophies and medals for their hard work.
The age groups for the team range, for example Caldwell said this year his youngest runner is five and his oldest is 18 years old. He said there are definitely challenges in trying to make this sport fun for the kids especially for a five-year-old, so he tries to find ways to keep them engaged and focused on getting better as a runner.
In addition to that Caldwell puts a big emphasis on teaching these young men and women about life. He wears his heart on his sleeve as a coach and is always willing to listen to his athletes whenever they need him to because he always has his kids’ best interest at heart.
“Running is a tough sport, it is physically demanding so a lot of kids, especially my younger ones, tend to give up or not want to do it after a while and I don’t blame them,” Caldwell said. “We try to always encourage them to keep trying because it might not have worked this time, but it might work the next time, and you can apply that to life, always keep trying and never give up.”
Caldwell said it can be challenging, but these kids are up to the challenge, and that’s why they keep coming back, and the team keeps growing.
“These kids want to be great athletes, and they understand that in order to achieve that greatness whether it is in any sport or in life, they are going to have to work hard and earn it,” Caldwell said.
Caldwell wants to see his kids improve, but he always wants to teach them about the world and how cruel it can be sometimes. While the world can be cruel, Caldwell likes to remind his athletes that they are special and they can accomplish anything they put their mind to, just have to watch out for dream stealers.
This team also offers an inexpensive option for a summertime activity compared to others. Caldwell said the team hosts a lot of fundraisers to help out families that want to be a part of the team but cannot afford it.
One of the key fundraisers that Columbus Youth Track hosts is their chicken spaghetti luncheon cooked by Pilsners Cafe that started in 2021, to contribute to raising money for the TAAF regional meets, Caldwell said.
The team is a part of the Texas Amateur Athletic Federation, so they do compete in meets throughout the season. With that comes an opportunity to go to State and Caldwell said he has brought some kids to State every year since they started.
“It’s always fun bringing them to State because they get a chance to see where this sport can take them and they love it,” Cadwell said.
The Columbus Youth Track Team practices every Monday and Thursday starting at 5:30 p.m. and will begin their season later this month.
Layla Henneke bites down on her gold medal after winning her race.
Men’s Basketball Hires Canadian Charles Hantoumakos as Assistant Coach
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STOCKTON, Calif. – The ties to Canada further deepened Wednesday for the Pacific men’s basketball program with the hiring of Charles Hantoumakos as an assistant coach, announced by head coach Dave Smart. Hantoumakos, a native of Toronto, has spent the last 20 years coaching basketball including the last 10 […]
STOCKTON, Calif. – The ties to Canada further deepened Wednesday for the Pacific men’s basketball program with the hiring of Charles Hantoumakos as an assistant coach, announced by head coach Dave Smart.
Hantoumakos, a native of Toronto, has spent the last 20 years coaching basketball including the last 10 with Canadian National Basketball teams. Most recently, he was on the U19 Junior National Team staff in 2025 and the U18 Junior National Team staff in 2024 that earned a bronze medal at FIBA Americas.
“I’m incredibly honored to join Coach Smart’s staff and become part of the Pacific Tigers men’s basketball program. The vision for what we’re building here is truly inspiring, and I’m thrilled to be part of it. I’m ready to bring relentless energy and commitment every single day to help us push this program forward and contribute to something special,” Hantoumakos said.
In addition to his national team duties, Hantoumakos was the program director and head coach of Fort Erie International Academy from 2021-24 and were national champions in 2022 and again in 2024 with a 26-1 record. He has prior experience as the head coach of Thornlea Prep from 2018-19, Athlete Institute Bears from 2017-18 and Bill Crothers Prep Basketball from 2011-17.
“Charles is one of the most respected and accomplished coaches in Canadian basketball, and bringing him to Pacific is a big win for the program,” said Smart. “His experience developing talent at the highest levels — from national teams to championship prep programs — will be a huge asset to our student-athletes and our program. Charles brings a relentless work ethic, a deep understanding of the game, and a passion for teaching that aligns perfectly with what we’re building here at Pacific.”
Hantoumakos was one of 10 members in Canada chosen to serve on the Biosteel All-Canadian Game selection committee. He served in 2018 and 2023-24.
Between 2010-24, Hantoumakos was the head coach of five different youth teams in the Amateur Athletic Union. It included 17U EBA Elite AAU Basketball, 17U Upstate New York AAU Basketball, 17U Triple Balance, U-play 16U Elite Youth Basketball and U-play 17U Elite Youth Basketball.
Hantoumakos got his career started in the Ontario Basketball Association and was the head coach of York North Basketball Association 19U in 2009-11. His first head coaching opportunity was with Juvenile Boys Team-Borden Jets in 2000-03.
Hantoumakos earned his bachelor’s in 2007 from Brock University and his master’s in 2008 at Canisius College.
Hantoumakos is the fourth Canadian on Pacific’s staff for the upcoming season including Smart, assistant coach Craig Beaucamp and assistant coach/director of player development Zach Angelini.
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New Canaan Couple Launches Breast Protection Insert for Female Athletes
Christian Murphy had no idea that sending a message of support to his close childhood friend from Australia would lead to a new passion in his life. The former A+E Global Media employee was looking through LinkedIn one day in 2023 when he came across the inspiring story of Suzie Betts, Christian Murphy recalled. “I […]
Christian Murphy had no idea that sending a message of support to his close childhood friend from Australia would lead to a new passion in his life.
The former A+E Global Media employee was looking through LinkedIn one day in 2023 when he came across the inspiring story of Suzie Betts, Christian Murphy recalled.
“I hadn’t been in touch with [Betts] for a very long time, but saw that she had recently undergone multiple surgeries and biopsies to address what were non-cancerous but extremely painful lumps in her breasts,” Christian Murphy told NewCanaanite.com Monday during an interview at New Canaan Library. “Based on this experience, she had developed a product to protect other female athletes so they wouldn’t have to go through the same experiences that she did.”
He continued: “I really admired what [Betts] was trying to do. She was trying to address a major problem in our society: a lack of funding and support for the proper equipment in female sports.”
Betts had her first surgery in 2018 and then, after conversations with her own daughters that showed a need for additional breast protection in youth sports, founded her product as ‘Boob Armour’ (later ‘Boob Protect’) in 2021.
Boob Protect. Contributed
Boob Protect is a polyethylene foam product that wraps under the arm, directly against the skin, to provide protection and stability. The inserts come in six different sizes and can be used at all ages of female sports. It is already being used in sports such as soccer, basketball, softball, volleyball, field hockey, and much more.
Christian Murphy thought Boob Protect would be a perfect starting opportunity for his New Canaan-based company, Aussie Brands USA, which launched in January 2025. The company aims to help Australians promote their brands in the United States. Murphy, a town resident, moved here from Australia in 2008.
In partnership with Betts, Christian Murphy co-founded Boob Protect with his brother-in-law, Matt Plavoukos, in January 2025. They currently sell the product on their website and Amazon. His wife, Stacy Murphy, works as the company’s COO.
“The product is used in basketball, rugby, cricket, and a bunch of other sports in Australia,” Christian Murphy said. “We brought it to the USA because it’s a prevalent problem that needs fixing on an even larger scope. Females that play professional, college, high school, and youth sports all need the protection that Boob Protect provides.”
According to a 2018 study published on the Boob Protect website, 47.9% of US collegiate female athletes reported having at least one significant breast injury in their careers. However, less than 10% reported it to their coaching or medical staff.
These breast injuries sustained while playing sports “can lead to issues with milk production and cause deformities or asymmetries,” Christian Murphy said.
Stacy Murphy said that as a woman who played sports in high school and college, “I was not aware of what kind of impact just a little bit of support could have on girls and women playing sports.”
“Research came out that made the sports bra popular, and now we view Boob Protect as the next step in protecting female athletes,” she said.
The New Canaan couple is working full-time on this project, as they have a vision to help their community and the broader society of female athletes, Stacy Murphy said.
“We want to encourage more conversations around breast protection in female sports,” Christian Murphy said. “Most people, especially the colleges we are currently talking to, spend unbelievable amounts of money on athletic equipment; however, most of that funding goes to male sports.”
He continued: “Boob Protect is a cheap piece of protection that will last forever and greatly benefits all female athletes. It should be a no-brainer.”
I have been coaching a youth running team for 14 years now. 27 seasons. 570 practices. Hundreds of Personal Records set, and just as many smashed. Thousands of miles. My first team had seven runners and the roster grew over the years to a steady 60-ish. I have had the pleasure of coaching hundreds of […]
I have been coaching a youth running team for 14 years now. 27 seasons. 570 practices. Hundreds of Personal Records set, and just as many smashed. Thousands of miles. My first team had seven runners and the roster grew over the years to a steady 60-ish. I have had the pleasure of coaching hundreds of kids and working with dozens of other coaches.
On Thursday, I ran my last 5k with the team: an epic, hilly, twisty, creek-splashing trail run in West Chester called the Trail Blazer. I can’t imagine a better place to wrap up.
Here are some of the things I learned while coaching these runners.
— Running is a forever sport. As you get older, there are fewer opportunities to play football, hockey, or soccer. First, because you’re old. Second, because your schedule fills up, so finding a league that fits your busy life is hard. All you need to keep running, though, is a decent pair of shoes and a place to wear them out. Running is also a global sport, so pretty much anywhere you go, you will be able to find a community of runners.
If you find yourself halfway across the country and want to make some friends fast, try the local running store.
— Just because kids are young, doesn’t mean they can’t lead. Every season I have watched runners stop to help someone who was struggling, heard teammates pay compliments to someone who worked through something hard, and had runners tell me that someone else had a tough day at school and could use a boost. At our 5ks, when there are out-and-back sections, the runners on their way back are cheering on their teammates as loudly as the runners on their way out, even though yelling makes running harder. This team has always carried itself.
If you give a third, fourth, or fifth grader the opportunity to inspire others, they will probably end up inspiring you.
— Running is both the easiest and hardest sport there is. It is so easy, most people learn to run before they can even say, “mama.” But it is so hard that coaches of other sports use it as a punishment for their athletes.
In this way, running is like character: You build it one challenging moment at a time.
— I have had some really fast runners over the years, but the chances of me coaching a future Olympian were always basically zero. The chances that I might coach someone who would someday coach youth sports were 100%. I have already had several of my runners return to coach the team with me as high schoolers (and they’re always the runners’ favorite coaches).
It is impossible to describe how it feels to see the runners I knew as third graders mature into the kind of men and women who want to inspire younger runners.
— If you really want to create a winning team, start by being positive all the time. At the end of our practices, we gave out dog tags to a few runners who had done something special at practice. One season, at the first practice, I asked for people to join me for optional sprints. Only five runners joined me. I gave them all dog tags. A week later when I offered optional sprints at the end of practice, every runner put their toe on the line.
That team ended up being the fastest one I had coached up till then.
— I have learned from 26 previous seasons that the first day we don’t have practice is the hardest for coaches. So it was that on Friday at 3:25, when my alarm didn’t tell me to put on my sneakers and leave the office, I felt bereft of the opportunity to see an incredible group of kids do something extraordinary on an otherwise unremarkable weekday afternoon.
I am extremely thankful to all of the coaches I have worked with over the years, and to the parents who thought, “Yeah, I bet my kid would like spending 90 minutes running after school,” for sending your kids our way. But most of all, I am thankful to the runners for pouring their hearts into this team. I’ve known for years that I was getting as much out of this program as they were. In truth, probably more.
Among billions, small earmarks for CT lawmakers to bring home
Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, had half an answer to the question of why an aquarium in a Republican senator’s district would be getting half as much money in the two-year state budget as an aquarium in Duff’s district would. Duff could not say why the Mystic Aquarium in Stonington would be getting $795,000 […]
Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, had half an answer to the question of why an aquarium in a Republican senator’s district would be getting half as much money in the two-year state budget as an aquarium in Duff’s district would.
Duff could not say why the Mystic Aquarium in Stonington would be getting $795,000 over the next two years, but he knew exactly why the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk would be getting $1.6 million.
He asked for it.
The $55.8 billion budget for the biennium that begins on July 1 is both a statement of priorities for Connecticut and an exercise as old as the definition of politics: It’s the art of determining who gets what, when and how.
The money for the two aquariums, which sit 88 miles apart at opposite ends of I-95, were line items in a $35 million appropriation for tourism over the next two years.
“I do think it’s not equitable,” said Sen. Heather Somers, R-Groton, whose district includes Stonington, home of the Mystic Aquarium. “I’m not trying to put one against the other in any way, shape or form.”
Duff said in an interview he would have “no beef” with Mystic getting as much money as the aquarium in Norwalk, but he does not apologize for his success in getting more money for the one in his district.
“I advocate for the aquarium in Norwalk, and that’s my job,” Duff said.
| First Take
