News from the Pine Tree State

A statewide first 

In mid-September, Geo Soctomah Neptune, a two-spirit artist, education and member of the Passamaquoddy Tribe, became the first openly transgender or nonbinary person elected to local office in Maine. Neptune won the most votes for a seat on the Indian Township school board. They began their term on October 2. 

Neptune, a Dartmouth College grad who has since focused their art on preserving Passamaquoddy cultural heritage, ran for the board at the urging of community members and tribal youth, who in their after-school program asked for more access to Passamaquoddy culture and language.

“The education system treats our own culture as supplementary, as an extracurricular activity that the kids are allowed to do, instead of treating Passamaquoddy culture and history as one of the main priorities in the education system,” Neptune said. “These youth concerns, on top of community members asking me to run, those are my two motivating reasons for running for this office.”

History Maker

Maine State Rep. Craig Hickman of Winthrop—the first openly gay Black member of the Pine Street State legislature — told Portland-based WCSH-TV 6 it was the “honor of my life” to be the delegate chosen to represent Maine in the Democratic National Convention’s roll call.

The state-by-state vote to officially nominate Joe Biden as the Democratic Presidential candidate, was an (at home) crowd-pleaser of the virtual convention, moving from the traditional, old calling of delegates from the convention hall floor to live video feeds set up in each state and territory. Each rep made their own unique statement as they introduced their state’s delegate count.

When it came Maine’s turn, there was Rep. Hickman, telling millions of television viewers, “My American Dream? I’m living it! A 25-acre organic farm by the lake, a roadside produce stand, and a bed and breakfast. My husband and I aren’t corporate tycoons, we just want to make an honest living and feed our community.”

He then went on to announce the majority count of Maine’s delegates pledged to Joe Biden for President.

“It’s time for a new beginning,” he told WCSH. “Sometimes we have to go back in order to go forward. Joe Biden represents an administration that dug us out of a ditch.”

Rainbow crosswalks

A group of high school students in Ellsworth, Maine received their school board’s endorsement to paint two crosswalks in the colors of the rainbow flag at the city’s high school and elementary-middle school, with the possibility of more in the city’s downtown area.

After the school board voted 4-1 in favor of the proposal, Ellsworth High’s student-run Gender Sexuality Diversity Alliance sent a request for additional crosswalks in the city to the city council. At the council meeting, students participated via online conferencing as their faculty advisor made the case.

“The students decided to submit [the] proposal to the City Council because they feel that lack of acceptance and bullying of the LGBTQ+ community is really a problem that runs far deeper than just the schoolyard,” the group’s advisor, Carrie Kutny, told the Bangor Daily News.

“A crosswalk is a symbol of safety,” Kutny told the board when one member asked, Why a crosswalk? “The kids were thinking on a metaphorical level what we can do,” she said. “It’s a visible symbol of safety, and that’s what we’re really trying to get at here.”

The board weighed the logistics and safety issues of installation and driver and pedestrian safety. They also commended the students’ initiative and voiced support for the school board–approved rainbow crosswalks on school grounds. Their discussion included comments emailed in from the community, overwhelmingly in support — many from parents of the public schools’ students and students themselves—and others with reservations.

After a lengthy deliberation, the vote was 3-3 (with one abstention)—so the student proposal was not accepted; however that vote was followed up with an unanimous measure to further study safety and logistics, addressing the concerns of the nay voters.

In the meantime, work began on the crosswalks at the school.

Heathcare Equality Leaders 

VA Maine Medical Center in Augusta and Penobscot Community Health Center in Bangor earned the distinction of 2020 LGBTQ Healthcare Equality Leader from the Human Rights Campaign. Both health care centers earned a perfect score of 100. 

Scores were based on four criteria: LGBTQ patient-centered care, patient services and support, employee benefits and policies, and patient and community engagement. For the second year, health care centers also had to offer transgender-inclusive benefits to employees to be named as leaders.