Maine continues to maintain protections for LGBTQ+ students enshrined in the state constitution, and has not banned books or restricted what teachers can and can’t teach about race, racism and history. (Photo by Getty Images)
Maine’s candidates for Congress diverge when it comes to how schools should be teaching about race, gender and sexuality, and whether that should be determined at the federal level or left up to individual states.
But regardless of party, the incumbents and challengers unanimously support increased funding and expansion for career and technical education programs at the federal level, many citing its importance in Maine.
Maine Morning Star asked federal candidates about several federal educational issues, including funding and expansion of career and technical education, which helps students learn trade skills that they can use to either enter the workforce or earn credits for college. They also weighed in on book bans as well as curriculum fights over how to address race and racism, and laws governing the rights of LGBTQ+ students, including their right to use bathrooms and pronouns of their choice.
While more than 25 other states have passed bills imposing one or more of these restrictions on K-12 schools, Maine continues to maintain protections for LGBTQ+ students enshrined in the state constitution, and has not banned books or restricted what teachers can and can’t teach about race, racism and history.
The three members of Maine’s congressional delegation up for reelection opposed these measures at the federal level, as evidenced by their voting records and statements. All three of them also supported bolstering protections for LGBTQ+ people. Not all their challengers agree that these topics belong in schools.
1st Congressional District
U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, who has represented the 1st Congressional District since 2009, is dedicated to supporting legislation that promotes equal rights and well-being of people “regardless of race, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or sex characteristics,” according to her website. She is strongly opposed to any censorship laws, such as the federally introduced “Don’t Say Gay” law — formally known as the Stop the Sexualization of Children Act — that would ban the use of federal resources to teach students about sexual activity and sexual orientation, gender identity, and dysphoria or transgenderism, or the “Anti-Woke” bill aimed at diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in higher education.
“Efforts like the so-called ‘Anti-Woke’ bill and the federal ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law are dangerous and harmful to our students and educators, as they seek to censor honest conversations about the diversity of experiences that make up our society,” Pingree said.
“Education should empower students with knowledge, not impose ideological restrictions that erase vital parts of history and culture.”
She is committed to renewing her support of the Equality Act, the landmark 2021 legislation that would ban discrimination against LGBTQ+ people, she said.
Pingree’s challengers, Republican Ron Russell and independent Ethan Alcorn, both said topics such as race, racism, gender and sexuality are best kept out of schools.
“I don’t know about making federal laws, but if it continues to be an issue on critical race theory, shaming white people and saying we all have privilege and white guilt, or pushing agendas on transgenders… then maybe it’s time for a specific guideline,” Alcorn said.
Russell said students should focus on “the basics,” such as English, math, civics, history, and a fundamental understanding of science.
“Time is the most valuable resource for us all and any time wasted on subjects other than the most important ones is time not well spent,” he said. “Race, gender, and sexuality are topics best taught at home.”
They did not directly answer whether they would support legislation such as the “Don’t Say Gay” and “Anti-Woke” bills.
2nd Congressional District
U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, who is up for re-election in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, is “opposed to book bans,” according to a statement from a campaign spokesperson. He also voted for the Equality Act in 2021 along with other House Democrats.
“No Mainer should be treated unfairly because of who they are,” Golden said at the time. “I’m proud to stand up for the rights of LGBTQ Mainers by cosponsoring and voting to pass the Equality Act. This landmark legislation will help make sure that all people are protected from discrimination, wherever they are in our country.”
However, Golden was recently one of just four Democrats to back the End Woke Higher Education Act, which barred accrediting organizations from requiring colleges and universities to adopt diversity, equity and inclusion policies as a condition of accreditation.
Golden’s Republican challenger, Austin Theriault, did not respond to requests for comment. However, in his first term as a state legislator, he voted against a proposal to establish an advisory council for and fund education to support African American and Wabanaki Studies in Maine schools, and also voted in favor of a censorship bill that aimed to stop schools from providing students with “educational materials considered obscene,” including books. This language is reflected in several state-level book ban laws passed across the country.
Diana Merenda, whose running a campaign as an official write-in candidate for the 2nd District, said that curriculum supervision at the local and state level should focus on core subjects such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics, “with an adjunct curriculum including language, critical thinking and social dynamics including identity and history.”
“Regardless of whether or not there is one single answer (yes or no,) guidelines that promote age-appropriate discussions and balanced perspectives on complex issues must be considered and respected,” she said.
U.S. Senate
U.S. Sen. Angus King, an independent running for his third term, also supported the Equality Act, although there was no Senate vote on it when it was first introduced.
“Unfortunately, right now American law does not guarantee key protections to our LGBTQ citizens, who can be evicted, denied service at public establishments, or blocked from accessing a loan in 29 states across the country due to their sexual orientation or gender identity,” King said in a statement on his website in March 2021. “This discrimination strikes at the heart of the values of our nation – let us come together and pass this bill, so we can take a step closer to truly guaranteeing liberty and justice for all.”
King’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
The former governor, who has held his Senate seat since 2013, is facing three challengers: Democrat David Costello, independent Jason Cherry and Republican Demi Kouzounas.
Costello was the only candidate besides Pingree who explicitly said he would oppose laws that limit books, curriculum topics and LGBTQ+ freedoms.
“I would oppose such unwarranted and societally divisive laws and instead press Senate colleagues to focus the Senate’s attention on issues and laws that are designed to ensure that all Americans are provided with education, healthcare, job skills, and other life enriching opportunities to thrive,” he said.
Cherry said DEI topics are tough to legislate federally, since that can “imply a right by the federal government to establish cultural preference of citizens and their children.” States are in a much better position to determine what teachers should teach, he said, but there should be guidance from the U.S. Department of Education on recommended DEI curriculums, which states can adopt and change as needed.
“The lessons of history should be simply presented, and the best method is to allow individuals to draw conclusions as to whether it is appropriate to rectify certain inequities of the past and the measures to avoid similar atrocities in the future,” Cherry said.
“The template curriculums should strive to ensure students in public schools are aware of issues such as the slaughter of Native Americans, the slavery of African Americans, and subsequent atrocities. A population that does not have a clear understanding of the past will continue to commit the same atrocities.”
Kouzounas did not respond to requests for comment. However, during her tenure as chair of the Maine GOP, the 2022 party platform was amended to prioritize banning sex education, lessons about gender and sexuality, banning “critical race theory” and restricting students from using pronouns aligning with their gender identity. It also called for defining any teaching in public schools about genders other than male and female as child sexual abuse.
Candidates unanimously support expansion of career and technical education
Career and technical education programs, known as CTE, allow students to spend part of their school day learning hands-on skills in numerous areas, such as electrical, plumbing and farm mechanics. These programs also focus on training students to meet workforce shortage needs, such as health occupations, automotive technology and biomedical sciences. Students can then enter the workforce, pursue certificates, go to community college or use CTE credits for their college majors.
In Maine, the demand for CTE has been growing as the program is seen as an effective solution to addressing the state’s workforce shortages. Maine’s two members of Congress, have historically backed CTE programs, with a spokesperson for the Golden campaign saying he “supports investment in CTEs, apprenticeship programs, and education and training in the trades.”
As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, Pingree has pushed to increase federal funding for CTE programs to help attract qualified educators, purchase safe and modern equipment, and expand options for Maine students, she said in a statement.
King has also made CTE a priority in Washington, and has visited several centers, community colleges and technical schools in Maine in addition to speaking about the importance of alternative pathways such as CTE on his podcast earlier this year.
On this issue, all their challengers are agreed: the expansion of CTE at the federal level is a “win-win,” said Russell, Pingree’s Republican challenger.
“We are in desperate need of these skills as a nation, and they certainly result in good paying jobs for our citizens,” he said.
Independent Alcorn, also running for CD1, agreed, saying expansion and training at the federal level might be warranted given workforce shortages.
King’s challengers also echoed the need for CTE expansion.
“CTE careers can be extremely rewarding, and it is clearly a critical employment segment of our economy where there is a growing lack of sufficient workers to fill available and needed jobs,” Costello said.
These programs are necessary to Mainers, according to Cherry, particularly in light of workforce shortages.
“While it is statistically supported, I have heard many Mainers comment on the lack of electricians, skilled surveyors, plumbers, etc,” he said. “These trades are in great need and offer people higher paying jobs.”
Neither Kouzounas nor Theriault, Golden’s challengers, responded to questions about CTE.
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