Public commenters accuse outside groups of stoking anti-trans controversy in RSU 24

Three members of the public used the board's public-comment period to press the RSU 24 board on protections for transgender students and to criticize outside advocacy.

Taylor Thunder opened the period by urging the board to reject what they called "misinformation and lies" and to protect transgender students from policies they said would violate protections. "I intend to continue speaking out for my fellow members to educate and inform the public," Thunder said, framing the remarks as a defense of students and a plea against stigmatizing rhetoric.

Tina thanked the board for actions on "children's safety and mental health" and asked when the policy changes from last month will be mailed to families and whether pronoun usage will be part of the upcoming policy discussion. Board members said the policy committee will begin drafting changes on Jan. 14, then bring revisions for a first read and a subsequent second read before adoption.

Russ Linton Sullivan told the board he had asked around and found "maybe three" students identifying as transgender in one community and said there was not a local crisis. He criticized what he called a national web of special-interest groups and named organizations he said were attempting to influence local school governance. "This isn't about protecting kids," he said, arguing that litigation and outside actors were driving the controversy.

Board members did not take policy action during the public-comment period; they later discussed the policy-review timeline in committee reports. Several speakers asked that written remarks be accepted into the record.