Dear Editor:

As Maine becomes the center of the debate over transgender rights, I would like to take the opportunity to publicly pushback on the wave of bigotry in national and local media.

We need to dispense with the idea that conservatives are suddenly interested in defending our children. Defunding the Department of Education and ending school meal programs is an odd way to protect children. The federal retaliation against Maine for not falling in line with Christian fanatical ideology is clear cut corruption, so I had better not hear anymore from the right-wing crowd about the “rule of law.”

There are currently more credible accusations of sexual assault against members of the Trump administration than there are transgender athletes in the NCAA. The House of Representatives just introduced a mandate to subject all female athletes to genital inspection. The far-right poses a much more serious threat to children.

Less than half of Americans know a transgender individual, so disinformation is rampant. Transgender youth face a higher risk of homelessness, abuse and suicide than their cisgendered peers. Gender affirming care and inclusion at school is life saving.

Transphobia masquerading as the protector of youth has a long history in political rhetoric. In fact, it was a cornerstone of the National Socialist German Worker’s Party—also known as the Nazis. The Nazi Party was infamous for its book burning rallies, but few people are aware of exactly what was being targeted. The original act of censorship was on May 6, 1933 when Nazi activists broke into and burned the library at the Institute of Sex Research. This was the first library compiling research into gender and sexuality in the world. Germans chose not to stand up for trans rights and we know how history unfolded. And so I ask the question, when will the MAGA Party stop? After transgender Americans have been erased from the public record and economic conditions haven't improved, who comes next? If you've ever wondered what you would have done during the rise of fascism in 1930s Europe, you're doing it right now.

Mike Bartles

Boothbay Harbor