UMaine student body forces anti-trans speaker off of stage
A University of Maine student holds up a protest sign that reads “Trans people will always exist” during Olivia Krolczyck’s speech. Photo by Emily Bontatibus
On March 13 around 5 p.m. outside of Neville Hall at the University of Maine, just under 200 students and faculty gathered with cardboard protest-signs and a message on their mind that they were determined to tell one special person. The mass spread to different locations around the building as 6:00 p.m. neared to alert the campus that an anti-trans advocate was speaking.
Olivia Krolczyck is a notable right-leaning TikTok influencer who advocates for the rights of women, especially in sports. She reached popularity in 2023 when she posted on TikTok about how her University of Cincinnati college professor failed her on a project for using the exclusionary term ‘biological women’ in a project, according to The Daily Mail.
The Riley Gaines Center at the Leadership Institute was formed when Lia Thomas, a transgender woman, competed and won an event in the 2022 Women’s NCAA Swimming Championships. The organization travels to schools to educate their audience about how trans-athletes are taking away from women’s sports.
“I’m not anti-trans. I’m pro-woman,” states Riley Gaines in her biography on her foundation's website.
In 2023, a year after Lia Thomas competed, there was a clear outline for trans-athlete participation in the NCAA, which has now been edited to adhere to recent executive orders, such as “Keeping Men out of Women’s Sports.”
The original said that “Beginning Aug. 1, 2024, the NCAA will ask trans athletes to provide documentation no less than twice annually. This could include testosterone levels, a timeline of body changes and other information,” as stated in this recent PPH opinion piece.
Now, the official language the NCAA states for athlete eligibility says that “A student-athlete assigned male at birth may not compete on a women’s team,” even if they are undergoing hormone therapy. If a player is found on a women’s NCAA team they will not be allowed to compete in the championships.
More locally, just yesterday, the University's funds were unpaused by the USDA in light of the Title IX and Title VI investigation. There has been no evidence of any trans athletes competing under the University.
Certainly, this debate on trans-athletes, headed by the leader of our country, is a hot-button issue.
University of Maine students inside Neville 100 hold up signs to protest guest speaker Olivia Krolczyck. Photo by Emily Bontatibus
Krolczyck, who was a Division III collegiate athlete, advocates for the protection of women who compete in athletics. Most importantly, she speaks on the trans-athlete debate in a nationwide speaking circuit across college campuses backed by The Riley Gaines Center.
Though, according to her from a personal interview at the event, she has “never had to compete against a male, never had to change in front of a male in the locker room,” and is “one of the fortunate ones.”
Krolczyck stated that she believes there is no way for one to transition from male to female. You are either one which is decided at the time of birth.
But, at the University of Maine, the community wanted to make it known that they are not standing with Krolczyck.
“A lot of people were upset that this event was being hosted on campus and decided that they personally wanted to take actions to stop it,” stated Kaia De Vries, a math graduate student.
The student organized protest, which was thrown together in a single day, filled Neville around 5 p.m. to peacefully protest what many perceived as an anti-trans event. The students met outside of the hall before heading in to pack the room tight with signs that read “Trans people still exist,” “shame” and “How much are you paid to spew trans hate?”
“The true UMaine students will get their voices heard because this is not who we are as an event, what’s out here is,” said Benjamin Kuebler, a fourth-year marketing student.
Kaia De Vries stands up during Olivia Krolczyck’s talk to ask a question in Neville 100. Photo by Emily Bontatibus
The doors opened for the event promptly at 5:30 p.m. By 5:45 p.m. the room was at capacity, leaving no spots for any more protesters to fit inside.
But, they remained outside the doors chanting messages like “Hey hey, ho ho, trans hate has got to go” and “protect trans kids” to reach Krolczyck on the inside.
Throughout her speech, Krolczyck was interrupted with buzzers from attendees' phones and shouts of passionate activism. Vulnerable stories were shared from students to illustrate the need for inclusion and how exclusion has seriously harmed them and other classmates.
The overwhelming number of protesters forced Krolczyck off her stage 45 minutes earlier than expected- showing that the University of Maine student body defies her opinions.
“We do not tolerate intolerance,” said De Vries.
Though, this trans-athlete debate lays at the heart of the issue.
A University of Maine student that wishes to remain unnamed, stated that “There are significantly less sexual assault allegations on trans women in sports then there is against our lovely president.”
