For immediate release
“Protect Girls Sports” Referendum To Be Re-Submitted for 2027 Ballot as Maine HS Girls Come Forward Detailing Civil Rights Violations & Alliance Defending Freedom Serves the State With a Formal Title IX Complaint on Their Behalf
Live press conference Monday, Nov. 2 at 10 A.M. ET with Maine high school athletes, Alliance Defending Freedom, the Independent Council on Women’s Sports, and professional athlete Carly Smolak.
Watch the press conference
AUGUSTA, Maine — On November 2, 2026, the “Protect Girls Sports in Maine” ballot committee will re-submit its citizen initiative referendum, An Act to Designate School Sports Participation and Facilities by Sex. The committee will be joined by two Maine high school girls whose Title IX rights were violated and who are telling their stories publicly for the first time.
The female athletes will be represented by the powerhouse civil rights law firm Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), who will announce it is filing a formal Title IX complaint against the State of Maine, the Maine Principal’s Association, and the girls’ school districts.
ICONS, the Independent Council on Women’s Sports, with former collegiate and professional soccer player Carly Smolak, will join them, reinforcing that girls deserve competitive sports free of males.
Press event details
- What: Live press conference petition re-submission & formal civil rights complaint filing
- When: Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, 10:00 A.M. ET
- Where: Welcome Center, Capitol Building, Augusta, ME
- Who: Protect Girls Sports in Maine [Leyland Streiff, Principal Officer]; Maine high school female athletes [from Windham and Fryeburg]; Alliance Defending Freedom [Tavia Bruxellas McAlister, Esq.]; ICONS, Independent Council on Women’s Sports [Kim Jones, Carly Smolak]
- Media: Short Q&A held on-site after prepared statements by above speakers
The Referendum Will Be Re-Submitted for the 2027 Ballot
After submitting 78K signatures in February 2026, the referendum was initially validated and headed to the November ballot. However, after months of law-fare, the petition fell 532 signatures short, with the validity of over 1,400 signatures stuck in federal court arguing a paperwork technicality.
The committee has not waited for a decision from federal court, activating ~100 volunteers across Maine to collect thousands of new signatures. Leyland Streiff, Principal Officer of the ballot committee, said:
“Over the past month, ~100 volunteers collected thousands of new signatures from motivated Mainers that believe our schools should offer access to single-sex sports and private spaces. Despite needing only 532 more signatures to make the 2027 ballot, the committee is submitting almost 5,000.
Girls in Maine deserve locker rooms, bathrooms, and competitive sports free of males. Anything else is sexist, regressive, illiberal and discriminatory.
Single-sex sports are a federal civil right that ensures equal opportunity and protection for all kids. Because everyone has a Sex, Sex is not Gender, and there’s no right or wrong way to be male or female.
Maine will inevitably follow Title IX – the question is simply when and how. Either by referendum in 2027, by the crushing legal weight of ADF and potential Title IX suits, or by our next legislature if they dare to do the will of the people and enact this bill.”
Athletes Are Speaking Out & Demand the Protections of Title IX
Maine girls have endured males in their competitive sports and private school spaces for far too long. The Maine Principal’s Association is actively violating Title IX and therefore violating the intimate boundaries and sex-based civil rights of all Maine girls. Kim Jones, co-founder of ICONS, the Independent Council on Women’s Sports, states:
“I am happy to be standing here in Augusta, Maine alongside female athletes across the state. These girls have been utterly abandoned by their schools, their local leaders, and their state government, but female athletes and the people of Maine are rising up and demanding better.
The support for the referendum proves that Maine knows women and girls deserve to be treated fairly; they deserve equal opportunity, single-sex sports, and single-sex locker rooms. Girls across the country are counting on the public to right this wrong and ensure fairness, common sense, and the future of women’s sports live on. Maine’s referendum will reach the voters through the public’s determination, and the tidal wave of voices, awareness, and consequences will continue to grow.”
Carly Smolak, retired NCAA and professional soccer player, continued:
“This is ridiculous and everyone knows it. Yet today there are more men competing in women’s sports than ever before. I am honored to stand beside these courageous soccer players to stand up for the right of every female athlete in Maine to know that her hard work, dedication, and accomplishments will be honored and recognized, not overshadowed.
No girl in Maine should be told to step aside in shame for a male athlete who wants to take her place. Now is the time to unapologetically state the obvious, and get to the ballot box to protect female athletes.”
The MPA & Non-Compliant School Districts Will Change Their Policies or Be Forced To
The female athletes speaking in Maine will be accompanied by ADF filing a Title IX claim on their behalf.
“When we reject truth, the harm is real, widespread, and devastating. We are seeing this play out right now in Maine, where the state is failing its female athletes,” said ADF Legal Counsel Tavia Bruxellas McAlister.
“Because Maine’s unlawful policy allows males to compete in girls’ sports, the deck is stacked against female athletes, telling them that—despite their hard work—they don’t deserve a level playing field. Every time a male athlete competes on a female team, the athletic opportunities of deserving girls are destroyed. This violates Title IX by depriving female athletes of an equal opportunity to compete and win in their own sports.”
About Protect Girls Sports in Maine
The Protect Girls Sports in Maine referendum (An Act to Designate School Sports Participation & Facilities by Sex) will ensure all public schools across Maine offer access to single-sex competitive sports (male, female, or co-ed) and single-sex private spaces (bathrooms, locker rooms, showers).
About Alliance Defending Freedom
Alliance Defending Freedom is the world’s largest legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, the sanctity of life, parental rights, and God’s design for marriage and family. Alliance Defending Freedom exists to keep the door open for the gospel by advancing every person’s God-given right to live and speak the truth. We contend for the truth in law, policy, and the public square, and equip the alliance to do the same.
About ICONS
The Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS) is a network and advocacy group comprised of current and former collegiate and professional athletes, their families and supporters. ICONS is a non-partisan, non-profit network of female athletes and their supporters committed to ensuring fair and safe competition in women’s sports.
Media contact: Leyland Streiff · (207) 295-6636 · Info@ProtectGirlsSportsInMaine.com
