Our beloved state is currently embroiled in a loud and fractious feud. I wish we weren’t, but we are.
A disclaimer: If you have questions, or are genuinely engaged in sorting your way through this issue, I welcome your conversation and I promise to engage in it without rancor. If, however, you are inclined to simply yell and hurl invective… well, I simply won’t be reading it. Life is short.
Currently, we are in a showdown between the federal and state government. A significant amount of much-needed funding hangs in the balance.
This whole thing started with an elected representative “outing” an underage student who that representative believes to be transgender.
Advertisement
Midcoast resident Heather D. Martin wants to know what’s on your mind; email her at heather@heatherdmartin.com.
Whether the student is, or is not, doesn’t matter.
The representative claims it is about her right to free speech. It isn’t.
If that child had, for example, committed a grisly murder, robbed a bank or committed some other crime, their name and image would have been withheld by law. But because this minor was busy just living their life in a way that representative deemed unacceptable, she felt justified in posting the minor on social media, exposing them to potential violence, threats and harassment.
Our youth deserve better than that. Our youth deserve to be protected. So do our grown-ups.
Advertisement
Now, if the issue were genuinely about fairness in sports (it isn’t), that would spark my curiosity. The current system is old. Times have changed in lots of ways. I bet that we, as a nation, could scrap the whole thing, sit down and create a new system that is better all around. We are actually pretty good at solutions once we take the heat out of the conversation. We can create a new and better way.
The fact that the conversation is being wound around the issue of transgender people is unfortunate. It seems to inspire a lot of fear, which comes out as “ugly.” We are not showing our best selves.
First, there seems to be a sense that making room for all types of people to exist will somehow cause others to morph into someone else against their will. I’ve never actually seen that happen.
People are who they are. Every transgender person I know has told me they knew who they were at a young age. And I believe them. Just as I believe my straight friends, and gay friends, and friends who have allergies.
Who we are is not a “choice.” Not for any of us. Our choice is about whether we pretend to be someone we’re not, or let others see who we truly are. That comes down to safety. Wouldn’t that be a lovely thing if everyone felt safe to be themself?
Advertisement
I’ve also heard the word “unnatural” bandied about – and that is simply incorrect. Nature is full of examples of changing genders. Clownfish, bearded dragons and sea snails are maybe the most famous, but the spotted hyena is worth a mention as well. Lots of species are able to change their gender completely – even well into their lifespan.
Humans not being able to do so autonomously is not an argument against it, either. After all, our inability to grow new teeth like sharks can is why we created dentists. Like I said, we are good at solutions.
However, none of this is the real issue.
What is really at stake here is the Constitution. Specifically, “ArtI.S8.C1.2.6 Anti-Coercion Requirement and Spending Clause,” which is pretty clear that withholding funds from a state in order to coerce or force specific behavior is illegal.
The threat, explicitly tied to funding, made by the president against our governor – and all of us who live here – is flat-out unconstitutional. States’ rights (oh, the irony) were established to prevent such abuses of power.
Advertisement
Therefore, I offer up (again) my heartfelt thanks to Gov. Janet Mills for standing up and ensuring our Constitutional protections remain in place, that rule of law remains the governing principle, and that we are all afforded our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
On March 2, Spurwink will join community partners for a special viewing of Building Hope: Ending Homelessness in Maine at the University of Southern Maine’s McGoldrick Hall.
Directed by Richard Kane and produced by Melody Lewis-Kane, the film shines a compassionate light on the realities of Maine’s homelessness crisis. Through deeply personal stories, Building Hope explores the challenges faced by unhoused individuals and families, while highlighting the hope that emerges when communities come together to create solutions. It’s been praised for its honesty, dignity, and inspiring message: change is possible when we work together.
Following the screening, a panel of local leaders and advocates will discuss the film and the ongoing effort in Maine to end homelessness. Panelists will include Katherine Rodney, Director of Spurwink’s Living Room Crisis Center; Cullen Ryan, Chief Strategic Officer at 3Rivers; Donna Wampole, Assistant Professor of Social Work at USM; and Preble Street staff. Catherine Ryder, Spurwink’s Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives, will bring her expertise in trauma-informed care and community collaboration to the panel as the moderator.
Keon Johnson had 21 points and 10 rebounds as the Maine Celtics defeated the Windy City Bulls 122-87 in an NBA G League game on Sunday afternoon at the Portland Expo.
Hason Ward scored 16 points and Jalen Bridges 14 for Maine (13-15), which had seven players score in double digits. Bridges drained four 3-pointers for the Celtics, who shot 13 for 28 (46.4%) from beyond the arc.
Max Shulga dished out 11 assists and scored nine points.
Maine led 33-18 after one quarter 72-36 at halftime.
Advertisement
Keyshawn Bryant scored a game-high 25 points for Windy City (12-12).
AUGUSTA, Maine (WABI) – An emotional day from Fairfield to Augusta, but felt throughout Maine and beyond, as state officials, community members and loved ones honored the lives of two Department of Transportation workers who tragically died in the field.
Maine DOT Commissioner Dale Doughty described the accident as “the nightmare that commissioners worry about.”
While working on Interstate 95 in January, Maine DOT workers James “Jimmy” Brown, 60, and Dwayne Campbell, 51, died after a driver failed to brake at a stop sign and crashed into a tractor-trailer traveling on the highway.
To honor the men’s commitment to public service and their legacy as fathers, outdoorsmen and Mainers, a procession including DOT officials, family members and more traveled to the Augusta Civic Center Saturday for a memorial service.
Advertisement
Among those in attendance was Gov. Janet Mills, who remarked on who Brown and Campbell were and their dedication to their profession.
“Jimmy, as you know, worked for the Maine Department of Transportation for 12 years. Dwayne for more than 23 years,” Mills described. “We could count on Jimmy and Dwayne just as we could count on the 1,600 Maine dot workers who keep our roads and bridges safe every day.”
Brown was known for his humor and love of fishing, cars and his children.
Campbell got his start in the DOT by following in his father’s footsteps. Mills said at the service that Campbell loved his daughters and time spent outdoors.
For Commissioner Doughty, losses like this hit hard because of the closely bonded “family business” that DOT is.
Advertisement
That family expands past state lines, as departments of transportation from New Hampshire and Vermont were present to show their support.
New Hampshire DOT State Maintenance Engineer Alan Hanscom said he called Maine DOT just hours after hearing of the accident to see what his crews could do to help.
“My employees are impacted or subject to the same dangers that Maine and every other state is,” Hanscom said of the importance of his attendance. “I have an employee that was killed in a motor vehicle crash some years ago, so it kind of hits home.”
Saturday’s event served not only as a commemoration but also as a call to action. Despite DOT’s training, Doughty says it is rendered useless if motorists put right-of-way employees in danger through reckless or distracted driving.
Advertisement
Hanscom expanded: “People don’t realize that this is our office. You’re driving through our office space. We’d like you to give us some consideration and slow down and be mindful of where we are. Give us a little respect.”
Doughty mentioned that these dangers extend beyond DOT workers to everyone who does roadside work. Because of this, he says, agencies must join forces to develop solutions.
“I really think it’s time, and we have a meeting coming up in April, where we pull all agencies and all companies that work in the right-of-way, contractors, utilities, everyone to start to talk about that message,” Doughty said.
On the podium, Doughty told audiences: “Please help us carry forward their memory, not only with tears, but with action.”
On Thursday, the Joint Standing Committee on Transportation authorized the Maine Turnpike Authority to conduct a pilot program for speed enforcement in work zones. The legislation is now headed to the House and Senate.
