A group of fathers in Maine is continuing its effort to advance a statewide initiative that would bar transgender athletes from participating in girls’ sports.

Members of the organization Maine Girl Dads held a drive-thru signature event in Brunswick on Saturday to support the proposal, according to WMTW.

The event allowed supporters to quickly sign the petition from their vehicles. Organizers with Protect Girls’ Sports in Maine also took part in the effort, the report said.

The petition seeks to place the measure, titled “An Act to Designate School Sports Participation and Facilities by Sex,” before voters in November 2026.

WMTW reported that the group needs 68,000 signatures by February for the initiative to qualify for the ballot.

A video posted Thursday by a member of Maine Girl Dads said the campaign was “going amazing,” noting the group had already collected more than 60,000 signatures.

Are you interested in signing our petition to designate school sports as male, female, or coed? Visit one of our four locations this Saturday morning! pic.twitter.com/JHnuGYdWAo

— Maine Girl Dads (@MaineGirlDads) November 13, 2025

According to the WMTW report, the referendum would require schools to designate sports teams, bathrooms, and locker rooms by gender: male, female, or co-ed.

The debate over transgender athletes’ participation in girls’ sports has spread across the country, with female athletes in various states facing decisions about competing against biological males.

The issue has also led to disputes between state officials and the federal government.

In February, President Donald Trump had a heated exchange with Gov. Janet Mills (D-ME) over her refusal to comply with his executive order regarding the protection of women’s sports.

“You better comply because otherwise you’re not getting any federal funding,” he told her, according to reporting at the time.

President Trump calls Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) out to her face over her refusal to comply with the executive order keeping men out of women’s sports:

“You better do it — because you’re not going to get any federal funding at all if you don’t.” pic.twitter.com/uMUZsy1j6t

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 21, 2025

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi later announced a lawsuit against the state of Maine related to transgender sports policies.

The complaint stated, “By prioritizing gender identity over biological reality, Maine’s policies deprive girl athletes of fair competition, deny them equal athletic opportunities, and expose them to heightened risks of physical injury and physiological harm.”

The debate drew further attention in October when three activists stripped to their underwear during a school board meeting in Maine to protest the district’s policy allowing transgender athletes to participate in female sports and use related facilities, according to Breitbart News.

Activists strip to their underwear at Maine school board meeting to protest trans athlete policy: ‘You feel uncomfortable?’ https://t.co/rk9SfBF7BT pic.twitter.com/E1MNNy8RsD

— New York Post (@nypost) October 15, 2025

Maine Girl Dads describes itself as a coalition dedicated to reinforcing sex-based distinctions in schools and athletic programs.

According to the group’s website, it “is a coalition of dads (8,000 of us and counting) that have banded together over a common cause — to protect the dignity, opportunity, and privacy of our daughters.

Simply put, we want districts across Maine to re-institute sex-based policies in school & sport. No more males in female spaces nor sports.”