Maine woman sues school board for ‘encouraging’ daughter’s gender transition

NEWCASTLE, Maine (WMTW) - A Newcastle woman is suing her local school board for allegedly “violating her constitutionally protected parental rights.”

The suit, obtained by Maine’s Total Coverage and filed on behalf of Amber Lavigne, alleges a counselor at Great Salt Bay Community School encouraged Lavigne’s 13-year-old daughter’s gender transition.

Lavigne says the counselor gave her daughter a chest binder and urged her not to tell her parents about it.

Lavigne says she discovered the chest binder in her daughter’s belongings in December.

When she contacted the school, Lavigne says the administrators tried to justify the counselor’s actions.

There is a statute in Maine that allows a school counselor to keep information private.

Her lawyer says her 14th amendment rights were violated in this case, which overrides state law.

”Once the counselor gave the daughter a chest binder, and once the counselor took affirmative steps, that’s when the statute no longer provides any protection,” said Adam Shelton, the lead attorney on the case for Goldwater Institute.

Maine’s Total Coverage has reached out to Central Lincoln County Schools superintendent for comment but, as of Wednesday afternoon, has not heard back.