Activists strip in front of Maine school board to protest transgender athlete policy

Three activists partially disrobed during a recent Augusta School Department board meeting in Maine to protest its transgender-inclusion sports policy.

The demonstration took place on Wednesday evening as community speakers addressed the board. Local activist Nick Blanchard, who led the stunt, delivered a speech as two women and a man removed their clothes behind him. 

Blanchard told the board: “You feel uncomfortable? Because that’s what young girls feel like when someone of the opposite sex starts changing beside them.”  

He said the demonstration was meant to call attention to how females feel in the locker room with transgender individuals.

“The only way to get them to listen … is to do something crazy and get national attention,” he said.

Some board members reportedly turned their heads to look away while others remained largely expressionless.  The board hasn't taken any immediate action to revise the policy.

Under current rules, the Augusta School Department aligns with Maine’s interpretation of Title IX and the Maine Human Rights Act, allowing students to compete on athletic teams that also fan with their gender identity.  

The U.S. Department of Justice has sued Maine over noncompliance with President Trump's executive order that would ban transgender girls from competing in women’s sports.