So, I briefly worked with Wayne Maines, #NicoleMaines' dad. I remember him telling me about his daughter, and how before Nicole's transition, #TransPeople weren't on his radar and was a bit taken aback. But being a good dad, he fully embraced her, and became one of her staunchest defenders. A class act!

Looking back on the Maine Supreme Court transgender bathroom case

by Jackie Mundry
May 28, 2025

"In January 2014, the Maine Supreme Court ruled in favor of Nicole Maines. At the time, she was in the fifth grade in Orono and identified as #transgender.

"She and her family say the school administration, her classmates and their parents were all aware that Maines was trans, and because of that, she had no problem using the bathroom that aligned with her gender identity.

" 'When I would introduce themselves to myself, I would say, 'Hi, I'm Wyatt, I'm a boy who wants to be a girl. What's your name?' And they'd say, 'Hi, I'm Ryan, I like trucks.' And it was on the same level of mundanity,' Maines said, describing her time in school.

"One day, that changed, and she was not able to use the girls bathroom anymore after another male student followed her into that bathroom.

" 'I went into the bathroom with another girlfriend of mine, and he followed me, and he didn't say anything to me, and he just kind of, like, made prolonged eye contact with me as he went into the second stall, and he use the bathroom, and it was like I was glued to that spot,' Maines said.

" 'I redid fifth and sixth grade, being there to make sure that she was OK. She never had a normal childhood,' Maines' mom, Kelly Maines, said reflecting on how much time she spent in the school trying to protect Nicole.

" 'It got so bad that Kelly had to quit her job at the University of Maine, and we moved her and the kids to Portland, and they lived in hiding in America,' Maines' dad, Wayne Maines, added.

"Eventually, Kelly contacted the #MaineHumanRightsCommission, and a lawsuit was filed. While the precedent was set in Maine more than a decade ago, the Maines family is concerned about upcoming legislation.

" 'Freedom matters, and they're taking freedoms away,' Wayne said.

"The state Legislature's Judiciary Committee is considering several pieces of legislation that would not allow transgender students to play sports with students who align with their gender identity or use the bathrooms or changing rooms of their choice.

[...]

"There is also a proposal to remove #GenderIdentity as a protected class from the #MaineHumanRightsAct.

"Maines lives in California and is pursuing an acting career. Her message to #TransKids is clear.

" 'Do not give in to their hatred,' she said.

"All of the bills looking to change the transgender rules in Maine are still waiting to be voted out of the Judiciary Committee. Once that happens, they will get a full vote, and likely a debate, on the House and Senate floors."

https://www.wmtw.com/article/looking-back-the-maine-supreme-court-transgender-bathroom-case/64907510