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A school board meeting in Maine erupted into turmoil when local residents began undressing in protest of the board’s choice to uphold a federal mandate protecting transgender students.
The meeting stretched into late Wednesday night, with numerous community members voicing their opinions regarding the Augusta School District’s vote to maintain the expanded Title IX regulations, which prohibit discrimination based on gender identity.
Maine resident Nicholas Blanchard, previously known for his anti-transgender speeches, took the podium toward the conclusion of the meeting and criticized the school board.
‘You guys had the opportunity tonight to be heroes and you guys became zeroes,’ Blanchard remarked, condemning the board’s decision to adhere to the Maine Human Rights Act, which forbids discrimination based on gender identity.
As he spoke, two women and a man stood up and took off their clothes while others looked on in shock.
As a board member attempted to restore order, Blanchard interrupted, asserting that the demonstrators were ‘covered,’ and challenged the board: ‘You feel uncomfortable?!’
‘Yeah, you feel uncomfortable right? That’s what these young girls feel like every time a young boy changes in front of them.’
Blanchard accused the board of not caring for students’ safety and prioritizing politics over girls.
Nicholas Blanchard chastised the school board for not complying with the Trump administration’s executive order on transgender student policies during a meeting in Augusta, Maine.
People stood up and began to strip during the meeting as Blanchard spoke
Nicholas Blanchard continued to speak and berate the board as people took their clothes off
During the meeting’s livestream, a message appeared on the screen advising viewer discretion.
The shocking scene unfolded after hours of commentary from the community on the topic.
Others spoke in favor of following the Maine Human Rights Act, with a high-schooler advocating for transgender students.
‘When we talk about rolling back the policies, we are sending a message to students,’ high school senior Matteo Hardy said.
‘It’s saying who they are is up for discussion, and their safety is negotiable. We should focus on making sure students feel supported in their education.’
Augusta School Board Member Charles Hicks noted that Trump’s executive order contradicted Maine state law over whether Title IX prohibited discrimination against transgender students.
‘This is going to be pretty unpopular with some of you, but I’m going say it. Executive order is not the law until it has gone through the process,’ Hicks told the community.
Daily Mail reached out to Nicholas Blanchard and the Augusta School Board for comment.
Blanchard previously criticized the board during a meeting in April, and he was later removed from the podium
Title IX was passed in 1972 to prohibit discrimination based on sex in education programs and activities that receive federal assistance.
The law has come under scrutiny as to whether it allows transgender students to participate in sports.
In 2021, the Biden administration expanded the definition of sex-based discrimination to include gender identity.
However, the Trump administration issued an executive order this year defining ‘sex’ as a biological classification excluding gender identity.
Maine enshrined transgender rights in the Maine Human Rights Act, which has caused controversy over whether schools are obliged to follow the federal or state law on the topic.
Maine’s state government has fought against repeated demands from the Trump administration to comply.
In April, the US Justice Department sued the Maine Department of Education on the issue. The state’s attorney general filed a legal response denying the Justice Department’s claims in May.
As the dispute continues, some Maine schools have decided to roll back protections for transgender students to be in line with the Trump administration’s policy.
Augusta School District includes four elementary schools and a middle/high school
The issue has divided residents in Augusta, disrupting multiple community meetings. Blanchard attended another meeting in April on the topic in a MAGA hat, where he compared Maine to ‘Communist China.’
Blanchard clashed with chair Martha Witham as he took aim at the president of the Maine Principals’ Association, Kim Liscomb, and was ordered off the podium.
Schools across the nation have been met with similar outbursts during tense debates on the topic of transgender girls participating in women’s sports.
Last month, Beth Bourne, the chair of Moms for Liberty in Yolo County, California, also stripped down at a school board meeting.
She told the board that she wanted to give them an idea of what it looked like when she undressed and stripped down to reveal a bikini.
Board members objected to her shocking act, but Bourne fired back that her protest was allowed.
