'They want to trans children so badly': Maine's 'transgender trafficking bill' likely to pass and trigger interstate battle

Democratic state Rep. Anne Perry's LD 227, dubbed the "Transgender Trafficker Protection Act" by critics, is a radical piece of legislation that would codify the right to sex-change mutilations and abortion in Maine, shield sex-change surgeons from consequence, and bar authorities from notifying parents of the locations of their kidnapped children if those kids are said to be seeking "gender-affirming care" in the state.

In recent weeks, LD 227 was condemned by Republican lawmakers, the Maine Sheriffs' Association, and 16 state attorneys general who indicated that it was unconstitutional.

The parental rights advocacy group Courage Is a Habit led a massive campaign this month to raise awareness about LD 227 and get it killed in committee.

The eight Democrats on Maine's Joint Standing Committee on Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services were evidently unswayed by parents' concerns and the overwhelming backlash, voting Thursday to advance LD 227.

Fellow travelers in the Maine Legislature and the governor's mansion will now likely see LD 227 through to becoming law, thereby setting up an interstate battle.

"This was already defeated in January," Courage Is a Habit president Alvin Lui told Blaze News, referencing the death of LD 1735, a similar piece of legislation killed in committee. "But they want to trans children so badly, and they want to separate them from their parents so badly, that they're getting it through by piggybacking on the abortion bill."

The bill

Blaze News previously reported that in addition to codifying the legal right to sex-change mutilations and abortions without age or time limits, LD 227:

• helps health care practitioners escape professional discipline and legal accountability for crimes related to sex-change procedures performed in and outside Maine;
• authorizes persons targeted with criminal or administrative action to sue those seeking to hold them accountable;
• requires insurance companies to cover sex-change procedures but not the health care needs of detransitioners;
• effectively prevents law enforcement from reuniting parents with children who have run away or been taken to Maine for abortions or sex changes; and
• allows virtually any adult to take a child across state lines for "gender-affirming care" even if the kid is not their own or is "incapacitated."

Republican state Rep. Laurel Libby confirmed that under LD 227, an individual could take a child "from another state against the parents' wishes" to Maine for sex-change procedures.

"And Maine law enforcement would have their hands tied. Maine judiciary would have their hands tied — would not be able to actually help return that child to their lawful parents," added Libby.

Lui previously told Blaze News, "This is the nastiest bill I've ever seen. Even worse than anything that I've seen come out of California. I never thought I would say that."

The opposition

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and 15 other state attorneys general, convinced the bill was animated by a "totalitarian impulse to stifle dissent and oppress dissenters," told Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills in a March 11 letter that LD 227 is unconstitutional and "seeks to contravene the lawful policy choices of our States' citizens by imposing on the rest of the country Maine's views on hotly debated issues such as gender transition surgeries for children."

The attorneys general indicated they would take action if the bill was passed and ratified. Now that federal battle is all but guaranteed.

Mary-Anne LaMarre, executive director of the Maine Sheriffs' Association, stressed to the committee members Thursday that LD 227 "has unanimous opposition of Maine Sheriff's Association's legislative policy committee."

LaMarre noted that the association was "unable to find anyone that was consulted on the language of the bill."

Courage Is a Habit, various individual parental rights advocates, and some critics of gender ideology, including All-American swim star Riley Gaines, rallied against LD 227 and attempted to focus pressure on the Democratic committee members who ultimately supported the legislation.

The result and response

The bill cleared committee in an 8-4 vote along party lines.

Sens. Donna Bailey (D) and Cameron Reny (D), along with Reps. Poppy Arford (D), Anne Perry (D), Sally Cluchey (D), Anne-Marie Mastraccio (D), Kristi Michele Mathieson (D), and Jane Pringle (D) voted in the affirmative.

It will now go to the state House floor for a vote.

Planned Parenthood, an incentivized champion of the legislation, celebrated the advancement of LD 227.

Lis Margulies, vice president of public affairs for Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, said in a statement, "Mainers can be proud today that 8 elected leaders said loudly and clearly: We will protect our state's health care providers and access to care from extremist attack."

"We have seen over the past few weeks that people both inside and outside of our state who are opposed to this safe, legal medical care will not stop their attempts to take away our rights and freedoms, and the protections provide [sic] by LD 227 are a step forward in ensuring Maine's clinicians can continue offering safe, legal medical care without fear of hostile actions from out-of-state actors," added Margulies.

When previously blasting the state attorneys general for taking issue with LD 227, Planned Parenthood recycled the now-debunked suggestion that sex-change procedures amount to "life-saving medical care."

The LGBT outfit Equality Maine similarly was delighted by the result, calling it "great news."

LGBT activist Erin Reed, Montana Democratic state Rep. Zooey Zephyr's boyfriend, tweeted, "A huge number of people emailed the legislators to let them know that bomb threats and the 'terrorists veto' should not be respected in Maine. But the work isn't done for those seeking to make Maine a safe state for all."

Courage Is a Habit responded on X, writing, "This is an all out war on children."

Lui told Blaze News that there are two big takeaways for Americans. First, it is important to recognize that gender ideologues are playing a "long game." Accordingly, they are not dissuaded by short-term losses. By the same token, conservative victories — such as the defeat of LD 1735 — cannot be taken for granted or treated as definitive.

Second, Lui indicated that while critical battles are fought at the legislative level, the bulk of the war against radical gender ideology is cultural and fought locally.

"It's a good reminder that people transform their culture. [Gender ideologues] will stop at nothing to come after your children — until the cult is completely dismantled, until they're sued into oblivion," said Lui. "The transgender social contagion begins at school with school counselors; pronouns; keeping things from parents; all the transgender propaganda within the culture of the school; the teachers; the social workers; equity policies."

"So if parents really want to dismantle the cult, to end the social contagion, [they have to do it] at the school level," said the parental rights advocate.

Lui further suggested that a failure to prevent the indoctrination of younger generations in schools will guarantee more victims for the "cult" and an uphill battle in legislatures around the country.

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