Every now and then we get excellent news on the culture warfront. The last week of January was one of those times when a joint legislative committee of Maine’s House and Senate killed the now infamous LD 1735, a bill that would have incentivized and protected trafficking of minors into the state for the purpose of gender “transitions.” In my previous column, I detailed the madness of this bill which, among other shocking revelations, would have enshrined into state law the right of the government to take custody of out-of-state children whose parent(s) were opposed to transgender ideology.
Originally, the bill was expected to pass, but it was killed by a unanimous, bipartisan 12-0 vote. What happened? You happened. Parents and people who care about kids happened. Maine lawmakers heard from people all around the country, as the issue was discussed on social media, talk radio, and cable news.
Suddenly, the light was turned on, and the left’s narrative was exposed as a fraud with all their euphemisms, and Newspeak meant to obfuscate and even lie about the bill’s true intention. The Maine Beacon reported, “Democrats, who had initially backed the bill, stated on Thursday that it included unnecessary language for the purpose of safeguarding transgender healthcare in Maine, leading to their decision to oppose it.” You mean language allowing the state to take custody of children if their parents disagree with leftist ideology and telling the courts and law enforcement to ignore if a child is kidnapped and trafficked into the state? That language?
While this particular version of the bill is dead, expect it to return like Frankenstein’s monster. They will change a few words or sentences and stitch together some word salad, but their goal will remain the same: weaponize children and the transgender issue to further their horrifically dangerous goal of an expanded bureaucratic state with uncontested control of the nation’s children.
Putting this bill out of its leftist misery came as quite a surprise to the left, and for good reason. Leftist extremists have had quite a run in Maine, passing bills eliminating certain parental rights over their minor children. And they expected their winning streak to continue.
In their coverage lamenting the bill’s failure, the gay magazine “Advocate” wasn’t shy about admitting this, “The bill had been a top priority for transgender rights advocates this session, viewed as an extension of last year’s legislative progress that allowed 16- and 17-year-olds in Maine to access gender-affirming care without parental consent or notification, in line with Maine’s laws on abortion and contraception for minors.”
While the defeat of the Maine bill is good news in itself, it also must serve as inspiration for our advocacy for children to continue. This bill wasn’t organic, nor was it a one-off; it is part of a nationally organized effort by leftist entities to use children in their grab for power. In the case of transgender ideology, a coalition of California-based entities decided to metastasize their policies that destroy communities.
On May 3rd, 2022, the “LGBTQ Victory Institute” sent out a press release crowing about their new plan and coalition to push “trans refuge” laws across the country. They announced, “LGBTQ Victory Institute, California state Senator Scott Wiener, Equality California, and Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California today announced a national, queer lawmaker-led rollout of trans refuge state legislation in 16 states. While these laws will look different in each state, the objectives are the same: shield trans kids and their families from penalties when seeking gender-affirming care to the greatest extent possible.”
The announcement added, “Today, 21 LGBTQ lawmakers representing 16 states publicly committed to introduce trans refuge bills in Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia.”
One wonders, did the voters of the targeted states sign up for their elected (LGBTQ) lawmakers to make policy based on what their local constituencies want, or did they know they would choose instead to conspire with leftist extremists from California to use their “template” to transplant disastrous policies from a collapsing, crime-ridden and bankrupt state? Maine state Representative Laurie Osher, the author of Maine’s now-defeated transgender trafficking bill, is on their “affiliate” list for the project. Voters must ask, who does she, and all the others on the list, really work for?
It’s worth noting how the “trans sanctuary state” laws make sure to claim this is to shield “families” fleeing some imagined persecution in their home state, like they’re refugees from evil juntas. But it’s not; it’s all about the kids. If an adult or a full-custodial parent with a child wants to pursue medical gender “transitioning” and they’re in a state where that service is not available, they can freely go to a state where they can pursue it. No one is chasing them around like they’re Bonnie and Clyde. There is no “refuge” needed for fleeing “families.”
The only time legislation involving the courts and “sanctuary” (the limiting of law enforcement response to a crime, oh, like kidnapping, for example) matters is if a minor child presents by themselves or is with someone who does not have legal custody. No adult would need “sanctuary” to leave a state and go to another for any reason. Just ask the more than 300,000 Californians who fled that hellscape for Texas and Arizona or the million New Yorkers who are now enjoying the freedom of Florida. This “refuge” and “sanctuary” garbage is all about the state having an alibi to take custody of children whose parents do not pay allegiance to the leftist narrative and convincing kids that their parents are the enemy.
We now know, courtesy of the magnificent response to the Maine bill, that pushback and resistance works. Even without a formally organized opposition, getting the word out through social media, news sites, and podcasts is key and illustrated by the reaction in Maine.
The coverage of the issue here at AMAC is excellent, including Robert B. Charles’ commentary on all the issues. Research and analysis at the Heritage Foundation is a good resource for you too. A site called “Courage is a Habit” is worth knowing, and the X account “LibsofTikTok” is credited with breaking stories exposing the left and their destructive agenda, including the Maine transgender bill disaster.
The left never stops, and we must remain vigilant. The Maine success is an example of what can be done when we even loosely organize. Americans come together when much is at stake, especially when it comes to children.