“I’m a mother of four daughters, ages 18 to 4 years old. Hundreds of mothers have fled violence, fled this very practice, and are fiercely protecting their daughters. My community in Maine takes pride in how far we have come on putting this practice in the past. As a result, the practice has been phased out. As a 15 year resident and taxpayer of the state of Maine, I know the state of Maine has bigger issues that need to be addressed such as opioid addiction, lead paint poisoning, intergenerational poverty, poor housing, and substance abuse. This is nothing but biased hate that was placed to further marginalize an already oppressed community.”
– Fowsia Musse, resident of Lewiston and executive director of Maine Community Integration

What is the bill

This bill, which originated from Act for America, the largest anti-Muslim hate group in the U.S., would have redundantly criminalized the currently non-existent practice of female genital mutilation in Maine.

Why it matters

There is no real problem this bill was seeking to solve. It was modeled after legislation that Act for America has pushed in at least nine states with the goal of invoking fear and hysteria about immigrants. The women leaders of Maine's refugee and asylum-seeking communities were united in their opposition to the bill, explaining to lawmakers that this practice has been phased out in Maine thanks to their leadership, and that the bill would only have detrimental impacts on their community. As the far-right continues to use race-baiting as a strategy, it's important that lawmakers can sniff it out and snuff it out.

What happened

DEAD: This bill was defeated when the House and Senate passed different amendments.