Matt Kailey

When I was in sixth grade, both my nemesis and my idol were the same person — Mary Louise.

Mary Louise was small, compact, and cute — a blonde Sally Field. I was hulking and chubby, with hair like a Brillo pad.

Mary Louise could run faster and throw a ball farther than anyone in the class, including the boys. I was always the last one to straggle in, panting and puffing, at the end of a forced lap around the playground at gym.

Mary Louise came to school with a cool cast on her wrist because she sprained it playing softball. I peed my pants in the school hallway because I was afraid to go into the girls’ bathroom (don’t ask).

Mary Louise was the best athlete in the school. I was the worst. We were both girls.

I bring up Mary Louise not to relive one of my worst childhood memories (which was peeing in the hallway), but because the Maine Human Rights Commission recently issued a draft of guidelines intended to protect Maine school children, from grade school through college, from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

The guidelines, which are scheduled to be voted on March 1, would permit transgender students to use school restrooms and participate in sports teams in accordance with their gender identity. Of course, there is raging controversy about all this, partly due to the bathroom issue (at least the kids are using them instead of the hallway), and partly due to the possible unfair advantage that students born male (or assigned male at birth) who identify as female would have when playing competitive sports against other girls. (Update: the guidelines have been shelved for now, with no scheduled date for future consideration.)

In fact, the college students interviewed by the Maine Public Broadcasting Network for an article about the guidelines were virtually unconcerned about the bathroom thing (younger students might feel differently, but only if they take their cues from their parents, who will no doubt be hysterical about the whole situation). It was the sports thing that some of them mentioned as a concern.

John Gause of the Maine Human Rights Commission, as quoted in the article, said, “On an individual basis, however, it’s nearly impossible to determine whether a student is better at sports because they are a boy or a girl. So it’s not appropriate to exclude students who are transgendered from sports altogether.”

The first part, I would generally agree with — at least in theory. Mary Louise is proof enough of that. The second part, I would most certainly agree with. Transgender students should not be excluded from sports (I, however, wish I would have been — not because I was transgender, but because I stunk).

The bathroom issue could become a problem under certain circumstances, but those individual circumstances would need to be dealt with as they come up. My concern would be for the safety of the trans student, rather than any other students in the bathroom. I definitely think trans students should have the option of a private unisex restroom — but I think all students should have this option (it keeps the hallways dry).

I understand the sports issue, but as someone who detested gym class every day of my life from grade school on, I can’t relate in the same way as a person who takes his or her sports very seriously. I know it’s hard to believe, but I simply don’t have an opinion — yet.

It will be interesting to see what the human rights commissioners decide on March 1, and what kind of response (or backlash) will follow. And it would be interesting to know what ol’ Mary Louise would think. She’s probably teaching her granddaughter how to sack a quarterback right now.

What do you think?

(Photo: me in 6th grade — hardly the athletic type)