AUGUSTA — A Caratunk Republican is sponsoring a bill to prohibit transgender athletes from playing on girls’ sports teams, saying that across the world males are taking competitive opportunities away from females.

“Denying biological reality and allowing males to compete on female athletic teams has been a huge setback for women,” Rep. Liz Caruso said with several girls surrounding her at a State House press conference. “We cannot allow ourselves to become second class citizens anywhere, let alone our own sports teams.”

Caruso’s bill, which has not yet been assigned a legislative document number, also proposes to require public schools to designate restrooms, changing rooms and sleeping quarters for “either only females or males.”

In response, Senate Majority Leader Teresa Pierce (D-Falmouth) said she has not yet seen Caruso’s bill and that like all bills, it will get a full public hearing. 

“I know that my focus right now is on responding to the pressing challenges that Maine people are facing like rising costs and access to health care,” she said in a statement. “In the classroom, our state faces problems with student homelessness and teacher shortages. These are issues my colleagues and I will be focused on.”

Caruso said national polling shows wide support for banning transgender women from women’s sports. A New York Times/Ipsos poll from January found that 94% of Republicans and 67% of Democrats believe that transgender women should not compete against other women, according to the Times.

To bolster her case, Caruso said her bill will bring Maine into compliance with an executive order signed by President Donald Trump, that the NCAA quickly changed its policies on the issue to ban transgender women from female competitions and that 16 other states are in the process of considering similar legislation.

Already, 25 states ban transgender students from participating in sports consistent with the gender identity, according to the Movement Advancement Project. 

“I pray that where there has been division in our state there could be unity and where there has been hurt there can be healing,” Caruso said.

Caruso’s comments follow a House vote Tuesday night to censure Rep. Laurel Libby (R-Auburn) for posting photos on Facebook of a high school athlete she describes as transgender to criticize the state policy of allowing transgender participation in sports.

That same day, a group of 30 organizations — including Maine Women’s Lobby, Maine Medical Association and EqualityMaine — released a statement condemning the use of the photo “of a non-consenting minor.”

“This year, dozens of bills have been filed that seek to threaten, roll back or undermine the rights of trans people in our state,” the groups said. “We urge legislators and legislative leadership to remember that children and private citizens are off-limits, and personal attacks go against Maine values, basic decency, and endanger families.” 

Also Tuesday, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi threatened to sue Maine for allowing transgender athletes to compete in sports. Bondi told Gov. Janet Mills in a letter that “requiring girls to compete with boys in sports” violates Title IX, a federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in education.

Less than a week ago, Trump called out Mills during a meeting with governors, warning her that she is jeopardizing federal funding by allowing transgender athletes to participate in school sports.

After a brief back and forth, Mills said she would follow state and federal laws, telling the president “See you in court.”