Maine female athletes lead charge at March Against Mills amid opposition to Trump's trans sports order
A protest against Maine Gov. Janet Mills, the March Against Mills, took place outside Maine's State House Saturday morning.
Mills recently clashed with President Donald Trump over his executive order on keeping transgender athletes out of women's and girls sports.
Several female athletes took the microphone at the march to speak out against their Democratic governor.
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Julia Dietrich, a junior at Midcoast High School, made headlines earlier this week with a passionate speech at a school board meeting and echoed similar sentiments to a crowd full of supporters.
Speaking in front of signs that said "Save Women's Sports," Dietrich explained that while she does not compete in high school athletics, she is a reporter for the school's newspaper and has seen firsthand the negative effects of biological males competing against the opposite sex.
"We have waited. We have spoken up. We have trusted those in power that they would protect the integrity of women’s sports. But our patience has only been met with inaction, dismissal and policies that continue to erode the opportunities and fairness that female athletes deserve," Dietrich said.
"This is not just about one team, one game or one season. This is about the future of women’s sports. It’s about every young girl in the state of Maine who laces up her cleats or steps onto the track with a dream of competing on a fair and level playing field. It’s about the generations of women before us who have fought for the right to participate in athletics and the generations after us who deserve the same experience and same fairness and respect we once took for granted.
"If fighting for fairness makes us controversial, so be it. The reality is fighting for fairness in sports is not just a preference, it’s a necessity.
Dietrich then called on female competitors to "refuse to compete" in games.
"Let the silence of the scoreboards and stillness of the fields send a message louder than words ever could. … We are not just athletes. We are not just students. We are fighters. And we will not stop until fairness is restored and women’s sports remain for biological women."
Isabelle Hope, a former high school state softball champion and Division I softball player, admitted she "might lose some friends" in speaking out against transgender athletes in women's sports, "but maybe I'll gain a few more."
Hope added that the fight is not a political issue.
"I’m not up here for any political reason. I am here today because our girls should not have to fight for a fair chance. That chance should already be there and be protected," Hope continued. "If someone truly feels like they are in the wrong skin, I fully believe they have every right to transition.
"We are a free country. However, I do not think women should have to sacrifice their spaces for equality because there will always be a difference when it comes to sports."
Ahead of the march, an online petition to recall the governor received over 22,000 signatures. Hundreds appeared at the rally.
Last week, Trump told Mills at the White House she must follow his executive order or "you're not going to get any federal funding."
"We’ll see you in court," she replied.
"I'm complying with state and federal laws," Mills added.
"Well, we are the federal law," Trump responded. "You better do it. You better do it because you're not going to get any federal funding at all if you don't."
That ordeal "embarrassed us," Maine state Rep. Katrina Smith said at Saturday's rally.
"When the people behind us are fighting for girls, she has chosen not to fight for them."
Trump later ordered Title IX investigations of Maine, California and Minnesota.
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