Maine's Judiciary Committee voted down House Bill 1735, a shield law for transgender people fleeing other anti-trans state laws, after the cosponsor asked for his own bill not to pass.
Gia Drew, Executive Director of Equality Maine, stated in an interview with Erin In The Morning that the bill was “probably not the right fit” for Maine and that “the climate has changed” over the issue, pointing to some of the complexities within the bill as well as outside disinformation attacks. When asked why the bill wasn’t amended to make it a better fit, she stated that she did not know why that route was not chosen.
Drew did express hope, however, for future versions of the legislation and pointed to prior successes, stating, “We were able to pass one of the most historic laws last year in that same committee.” The state had previously passed a law that allowed trans youth above the age of 16 to consent to gender affirming care without parental approval.
