- Homosexuality
- ⚢✔ Legal
- Gay Marriage
- ⚭✔ Legal
- Censorship
- ✔ No censorship
- Changing Gender
- ✔ Legal, no restrictions
- Gender-Affirming Care
- ✔ Legal
- Non-Binary Gender Recognition
- ✔ Recognized
- Hate Crime Protections
- ✔ Sexual orientation and gender identity
- Discrimination
- ✔ Illegal
- Employment Discrimination
- ✔ Sexual orientation and gender identity
- Housing Discrimination
- ✔ Sexual orientation and gender identity
- Adoption
- ✔ Legal
- Intersex Infant Surgery
- ✖ Not banned
- Military
- ✖ Lesbians, gays, bisexuals permitted, transgender people banned
- Donating Blood
- ✔ Legal
- Conversion Therapy
- ✔ Banned
- Age of Consent
- ✔ Equal
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Public Opinion
Recent studies in Maine indicate significant support for LGBTQ+ rights among the population.
OPPOSE
SUPPORT
History
Same-sex marriage in Maine is legal.
Current status
Since Dec 29, 2012
Civil unions (limited rights)
Opponents of the marriage equality in Maine set up a referendum to repeal it. Citizens voted 53% in favor of repealing marriage equality and 47% against, effectively un-legalizing gay marriage. Even after gay marriage was overturned in Maine, the domestic partnerships offered from 2005 were still available for gay couples.
Legal
On May 5th, 2009, the Maine Senate passed a bill 21-13 with one abstained. The bill redefined marriage to terms without gender references. The bill was signed into law the next day by Maine’s Governor at the time, John Baldacci.
Civil unions (limited rights)
A bill which legalized domestic partnerships for same-sex couples took effect on July 30th, 2005. The domestic partnerships offered gave only certain limited rights of what marriage would.
Banned
In March of 1997, the Maine Legislature passed a statute that restricted marriage to opposite-sex couples. The Governor at the time, Angus S. King, Jr., signed the bill into law.
Censorship of LGBT issues in Maine is no censorship.
Current status
No censorship
Maine has no laws censoring LGBT topics.
Gender-affirming care in Maine is legal.
Current status
Legal
Minors 16 years of age or older are able to get gender affirming care without parental consent. Adults and Minors are freely able to access gender affirming care. Anyone under prosecution in another state will be able to freely access gender affirming care in Maine, this specific bill will be enacted in a later date. Governor Janet Mills signed LD227 April 12th, 2024, making gender affirming care protected in the state of Maine.
Hate crime protections in Maine is sexual orientation and gender identity.
Current status
Sexual orientation and gender identity
Maine law protects individuals from hate crimes on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
LGBT discrimination in Maine is illegal.
Current status
Illegal
People are protected from discrimination based upon both sexual orientation and gender identification.
LGBT employment discrimination in Maine is sexual orientation and gender identity.
Current status
Since 2005
Sexual orientation and gender identity
State law provides for protections against employment discrimination in regards to both sexual orientation and gender identification.
LGBT housing discrimination in Maine is sexual orientation and gender identity.
Current status
Sexual orientation and gender identity
This state explicitly bans housing discrimination based upon sexual orientation and gender identification.
Same-sex adoption in Maine is legal.
Current status
Since 2007
Legal
State statute allows married and unmarried persons to adopt per §9-301, and a lower court ruled in MA, 2007 ME 123 (2007) that the law is not exclusionary of same-sex partners.
Similarly, second-parent adoption isn't expressly permitted in statute, but case law has been tolerant in lower court rulings.
Similarly, second-parent adoption isn't expressly permitted in statute, but case law has been tolerant in lower court rulings.
Intersex infant surgery in Maine is not banned.
Current status
Not banned
Maine does not ban “normalization” surgeries performed on intersex infants.
Serving openly in military in Maine is lesbians, gays, bisexuals permitted, transgender people banned.
Current status
Since May 6, 2025
Lesbians, gays, bisexuals permitted, transgender people banned under federal United States law
Midday on May 6th, 2025, the Supreme Court issued an order allowing the Trump administration to enforce its ban on transgender service members while the court reviews their case.
Legal under federal United States law
On the evening of March 18th, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes blocked the implementation of Trump's executive order banning transgender people from the military. The judge said that not only was the order unconstitutional but “a solution in search of a problem.”.
Lesbians, gays, bisexuals permitted, transgender people banned under federal United States law
On January 27th, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order that bans transgender people from serving in the military.
On February 10th, 2025, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth filed in court a memo relating to President Trump’s executive order from the previous month.
From then until March 18th, 2025, The U.S. military prohibited transgender individuals from enlisting and ceased providing or supporting gender transition procedures for service members.
On February 10th, 2025, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth filed in court a memo relating to President Trump’s executive order from the previous month.
From then until March 18th, 2025, The U.S. military prohibited transgender individuals from enlisting and ceased providing or supporting gender transition procedures for service members.
Legal under federal United States law
In 2021, former President Joe Biden removed then-former President Donald Trump’s ban on transgender people serving in the military.
Lesbians, gays, bisexuals permitted, transgender people banned under federal United States law
The Trump administration enacted a new policy barring individuals with a "condition" known as "gender dysphoria." from serving in the military.
Legal under federal United States law
In 2011, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was repealed by the Obama Administration. Former President Obama allowed members who were dishonorably discharged under DADT, to receive an honorable discharge.
Don't Ask, Don't Tell under federal United States law
Don't Ask, Don't Tell was the historic compromise signed by President Bill Clinton authorizing people who are LGBT to serve in the military provided they didn't disclose sexuality. The law also removed the ability for others in the military from asking for a service member's orientation.
Blood donations by MSMs in Maine is legal.
Current status
Since May 11, 2023
Legal under federal United States law
The new FDA policy on blood donation eliminates deferrals and screening questions specific to men who have sex with men (MSM). Prospective donors will be asked the same set of questions regardless of their sex or sexual orientation.
Banned (less than 6-month deferral) under federal United States law
The FDA announced changes to the blood donor eligibility policy in April 2020, reducing the MSM deferral period from 12 months to 3 months. The change came amid the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, where blood was needed urgently.
Banned (1-year deferral) under federal United States law
After a series of recommendations, the FDA has moved to a 12 months deferral.
Banned (indefinite deferral) under federal United States law
Starting in 1983, the United States implemented a full ban on blood donations from gay men. The primary justification for the ban was the perceived high risk of HIV transmission, with health regulators identifying men who have sex with men (MSM) as a significant risk to the safety of the blood supply.
Equal age of consent in Maine is equal.
Current status
Since Mar 1, 1976
Equal
Age of consent in Maine does not differentiate consent for sex based on sexual orientation.
United States Equality Rank
#252
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Maine LGBT Organizations
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