3 min read

The Westbrook community is rallying behind the Westbrook High School girls soccer team after a Facebook post that circulated last week falsely implied two of the players are transgender.

The Parents’ Rights In Education Maine’s Facebook page posted a photo of the team and singled out two of the players with the words “it’s not fair” displayed on top. The Westbrook Beat’s Facebook page shared the post, which was taken down later the same day.

Parents’ Rights in Education is a national parents’ rights group, and its Maine chapter has been advocating for a citizens’ initiative to restrict transgender athletes from participating in girls sports or using school facilities.

“The recent social media posts targeting our student-athletes are unacceptable. Singling out children and using their photographs to advance a political agenda is wrong, and our community should be clear in rejecting it,” Westbrook Mayor David Morse said in a statement on Facebook. “These are young people who deserve to learn, build friendships, play sports, and take pride in representing Westbrook. They should not have to worry that adults will turn their team photos into material for a political attack.”

Rep. Sue Salisbury, D-Westbrook, said her phone started blowing up after the posts were shared Friday.

“I was sick to my stomach,” Salisbury said.

Very quickly, community members worked together to report the posts, find out where they came from, and ask the moderators of the Facebook accounts to take them down, Salisbury said. After a few hours, both pages took down the posts.

“The message was loud and clear that in Westbrook, we’re not going to tolerate this hateful behavior,” she said.

Last year, Rep. Laurel Libby, R-Auburn, posted a photo of a student-athlete from Greely High School she identified as transgender on her official Facebook page. The post sparked a debate about transgender athletes, drawing national attention and leading to a showdown between Gov. Janet Mills and President Donald Trump.  Libby was censured for posting the photo, and she later filed a federal lawsuit against the speaker of the Maine House of Representatives, arguing the censure violated her constitutional rights.

Earlier this year, the citizens’ initiative to limit transgender students’ rights did not qualify for the November ballot because organizers did not gather enough valid signatures. Supporters of the referendum said they’re now aiming to qualify for the 2027 ballot.

Caught in the center of a charged debate over transgender athletes participating in sports, some children have become the targets of harassment and bullying.

Superintendent Peter Lancia and the Westbrook High School administration shared a message online condemning the posts, asking the community to continue to support the students.

“Personal attacks, harassment and public targeting of student-athletes have no place in our school community,” the statement read. “We do not tolerate language or behavior that demeans or marginalizes others. We stand firmly in support of all of our students.”

He said his group received a “firsthand report from the Westbrook community” that a male athlete was participating in female athletics and that this was corroborated by another “community source.”

The post was removed after a parent reached out to the group, Sarvinas said. He defended the post and discounted the pushback from the community.

“To be clear, the Westbrook community has no influence on PRE Maine in these situations,” Sarvinas wrote. “Their selective outrage has no value on PRE.”

His wife, Annalyse Sarvinas, is running for Maine House District 51, which covers part of Topsham.

The Westbrook Beat describes itself as Westbrook’s “conservative watchdog,” posting about City Council and school board meetings on Facebook and Substack. It is unclear who runs the account, and the moderator did not respond to requests for comment on Facebook.

In comments under the two accounts’ other Facebook posts, people have criticized the posts targeting the two Westbrook students, saying they put children at risk and demanding accountability.