News from the Pine Tree State
HRC endorses Gideon
The Human Rights Campaign endorsed Maine’s Speaker of the House Sara Gideon for US Senate in her race against incumbent Senator Susan Collins.
HRC, the largest LGBTQ advocacy and political lobbying organization in the country, made its announcement immediately after Gideon won her state’s Democratic primary with over 70% of the vote on July 14.
Said Gideon, “Every Mainer, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, deserves a seat at the table in discussions about our future and I’m honored to have the endorsement of the Human Rights Campaign in this race.”
“In the State House, we passed landmark legislation banning conversion therapy and strengthening the Maine Human Rights Act to protect LGBTQ Mainers from discrimination based on gender identity. I look forward to bringing the same dedication to full equality to Washington, and will always fight for the right of all Mainers to live without fear of discrimination,” she said.
Nonbinary birth certificates
Maine became one of the few states in the country so far to recognize nonbinary people on their birth certificates. The ruling allows for a “X” gender designation for those identifying as neither exclusively male or exclusively female.
Twelve states (plus Washington DC and New York City) currently offer the nonbinary birth certificate option, according to the Movement Advancement Project; these include Rhode Island, Connecticut and now Maine in New England.
Since 2019, Mainers could obtain or change their X gender markers on their driver’s licenses and state IDS; now these documents can match their birth certificates.
“These changes are really exciting and will make a significant difference in the lives of transgender folks like myself, and people whose gender identity is neither exclusively male nor exclusively female,” said Gia Drew, program director for EqualityMaine, in a press release. “We’ve heard from so many people, as well as from parents of trans and gender expansive youth, who’ve become so frustrated with the outdated process. I hope the news of these necessary and affirming changes bring some light to people during these unsettling times.”
LGBTQ veterans
Maine lawmakers recommended the creation of a new office to help LGBTQ veterans involuntarily discharged due to their sexual orientation. The new office, envisioned by the state’s committee on veterans and legal affairs, would be part of Maine’s Bureau of Veterans Services and would help veterans get their discharges upgraded to receive state and potentially federal benefits.
“Between the end of World War II and the 2011 repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy, it is estimated that over 100,000 veterans nationally were involuntarily discharged from the services because of their sexual orientation,” David Richmond, director of the Maine Bureau of Veterans Services, told the Bangor Daily News,
“No one knows how many Maine veterans received less-than-honorable discharges from military service because of their sexual orientation,” reported BDN, but [Richmond] believes it is a significant number.”
The new office would help veterans get their discharges upgraded so they can access state-provided benefits. The office also will help them get the discharges upgraded at the federal level to qualify for federal benefits.
Rockland’s Good Tern
Customers at Good Tern Co-op of Rockland, Maine raised $891.23 in June through a Pride month drive for their neighbors at OUT Maine, the youth support nonprofit also based in Rockland.
“OUT Maine works toward a welcoming and affirming Maine for all rural young people of diverse sexual orientations, gender expressions and gender identities,” notes a Good Tern press release. “In partnership with their allies and families, OUT Maine supports, educates and empowers these youth in their journey from adolescence to adulthood.”
Good Tern Natural Foods Co-op is a member-owned food and health store founded in 1980 to provide healthy food and wellness choices at reasonable prices for our local community. Its stated mission is “to provide a high-quality, fairly priced, cooperatively owned and democratically controlled source of food and health products; to educate and inform members and the community on whole food, health and nutrition, food sources, and food preparation; and to help further cooperative principles, democracy, and self-reliance.”
Rainbow Crosswalks
The city of South Portland, Maine, showed some Pride with a trio of crosswalks painted in the colors of the rainbow flag, painting them at an intersection near City Hall, at the corner of Anthoine Street and Broadway and in front of South Portland High.
“I am proud that South Portland is a city where we can show this display of support during Pride Month for our LGBTQ+ community members,” City Manager Scott Morelli told the Portland Press Herald.
Said City Councilor Katelyn Bruzgo, “We want to make sure the LGBTQ community knows that we see them, and we support them, and make sure they feel that.”
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