Maine Teen Speaks Out Against Trans Athlete Policies That Shaped Her Sports Journey

Cassidy Carlisle, a high school athlete from Maine, is taking a stand after years of grappling with the state's inclusion of transgender athletes in girls' sports and locker rooms. Her journey began in seventh grade at Presque Isle Middle School, where she was told to share a locker room with a transgender student—a biological male. Administrators allegedly warned her that avoiding the situation could make her late for class.

"That was my first moment of realizing something felt off, but I didn’t know how to deal with it," Cassidy shared in an exclusive interview. Her discomfort lingered, even though the student stopped using the girls' locker room after a week.

Fast forward to high school, and the issue resurfaced for Cassidy during her junior year. She found herself competing against a transgender athlete on the state Nordic skiing team—a competitor she had already lost to in cross-country events. "I thought, 'This is just something you hear about on the news. This can't be happening to me,'" Carlisle said. But it was happening, and it hit her hard.

As a child, Carlisle had already quit co-ed hockey because she felt she couldn’t keep up with the boys. Transitioning to girls-only sports was supposed to level the playing field, but she found herself once again facing what she perceived as an unfair physical disadvantage. Adding insult to injury, she felt silenced by the fear of backlash. "Speaking out is hard when you’re just a high schooler. Backlash can be brutal," she admitted.

Maine’s policies on gender identity have evolved significantly since 2005, when it was first included in the Maine Human Rights Act. By 2021, gender identity was recognized as its own protected class, prohibiting discrimination in athletic programs. But for athletes like Cassidy, the impact of these changes has been deeply personal and, at times, disheartening.

In February, Cassidy joined a growing movement to challenge these policies. Inspired by Republican state Rep. Laurel Libby, who had spoken out against a transgender athlete winning a girls' pole vault competition, Cassidy decided to use her voice. She traveled to the White House alongside other athletes to share her story with Attorney General Pam Bondi and state attorneys general.

The absence of any Maine representatives at the meeting didn’t escape Cassidy’s notice. "None of our AGs were there," she pointed out. Undeterred, she returned home and addressed a crowd outside the Maine Capitol, protesting Governor Janet Mills’ support for trans inclusion in girls’ sports.

The protests are part of a larger national debate, fueled in part by the Trump administration’s executive orders to curb trans inclusion in women’s sports. Just last week, the Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights found Maine in violation of Title IX, demanding policy changes within ten days or risking federal funding cuts. The University of Maine has already faced temporary funding freezes during this review.

While the federal government’s involvement raises the stakes, Carlisle is focused on the immediate impact on her community. "I really hope Maine complies," she said. "Our schools can’t afford to lose federal funding. It would hurt our state deeply." For her, this isn’t just a political battle; it’s a deeply personal one, shaped by years of navigating a system she feels has let her and other young female athletes down.