You ever wonder what happens when common sense takes on woke ideology in a political cage match? Well, grab some popcorn and look north to Maine, where Governor Janet Mills, a Democrat, is locked in a standoff with the Trump administration. The battleground?

Those controversial transgender policies that seem to fly in the face of biology, common sense, and, as it turns out, federal rules protecting women’s sports and ensuring basic standards for things like, you know, school lunches. Mills is refusing to budge, putting federal funding for Maine’s schools at risk.

Now, you might think a governor facing the loss of potentially millions in federal cash, especially for policies most citizens in Maine apparently don’t even support, might reconsider. But no, Governor Mills is digging in her heels, doubling and tripling down on allowing boys in girls’ locker rooms and pushing medical interventions on kids. It makes you scratch your head and ask: why the stubbornness? Is it just blind ideology, or could there be something else going on? A recent report suggests we might need to follow the money.

A Family Affair in the Pine Tree State?

It turns out, according to an investigation by The Daily Wire, that this steadfast dedication to the transgender agenda might align quite nicely with the financial interests of the Mills family and their associates. Governor Mills’ own sister, Dora Anne Mills, holds the cushy title of “Chief Health Improvement Officer” at MaineHealth, one of the state’s largest healthcare systems. And guess who was a top donor to Governor Mills’ 2022 re-election campaign? You guessed it – MaineHealth.

But the connections don’t stop at campaign donations. MaineHealth isn’t just any healthcare provider; it’s deeply involved in providing irreversible so-called “gender-affirming care” to minors, including puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones. These are lucrative procedures. And wouldn’t you know it, since Governor Mills took office (around the same time her sister joined MaineHealth leadership), the non-profit healthcare system’s revenue has exploded. As Steven Robinson, editor-in-chief of The Maine Wire, pointed out:

From ‘The Daily Wire’:

“MaineHealth, nominally a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, has seen its revenue grow from $1.54 billion in 2018, the year before Mills took office, to $3.69 billion as of 2023… The governor’s sister, Dora Mills, joined MaineHealth as the ‘Chief Health Improvement Officer’ in late 2018, around the same time her sister was measuring the drapes at the Blaine House, and the confluence of jobs for the Mills sisters has coincided with remarkable growth in MaineHealth’s revenue. All a coincidence, I’m sure.”

A coincidence? Perhaps. But it’s a mighty profitable one for MaineHealth, the governor’s sister’s employer and the governor’s campaign donor.

Policy That Pays?

The timing gets even more interesting when you look at the laws Governor Mills has championed. In 2023, she signed a bill allowing minors to get hormone therapies without parental consent. MaineHealth even runs “school-based health centers” where kids can discuss sensitive topics like “family planning” (read: gender identity issues?) without mom and dad ever knowing. Need to talk to someone “unbiased”? Apparently, that means anyone but your parents.

Then, in 2024, Mills signed another law shielding providers of these very transgender treatments for minors from legal consequences originating in other states. Worried about lawsuits? Governor Mills has your back – if you’re providing these controversial services, that is. She even unilaterally changed Maine’s Medicaid program, MaineCare, back in 2019 to force taxpayers to foot the bill for elective sex-change procedures, procedures often linked to severe negative health outcomes, especially for kids. It’s almost like she’s creating a protected, taxpayer-funded market for the very services her sister’s organization provides.

Ignoring the Voters, Following the Agenda

While Mills and her allies push these policies, what do actual Mainers think? Polling suggests they largely oppose biological males in female sports and strongly support parental rights – the very things Mills’ actions undermine. State Representative Laurel Libby put it bluntly to The Daily Wire: “Extreme outside groups are driving the policy decisions in Maine… Governor Mills and the Democrat majority are beholden to radical leftwing special interests and have no regard for the will of the people.” It seems Rep. Libby hit a nerve, as she reportedly faced attempts by state Democrats to silence her for speaking out.

And speaking of special interests, pro-transgender organizations reportedly poured almost $2.5 million into political activities during Mills’ 2022 reelection campaign. When confronted, Mills falls back on claims of “states’ rights” – a curious position for a modern Democrat, especially when it seems to align so perfectly with the financial and ideological goals of her donors and potentially her own family’s interests. MaineHealth, for its part, dismissed any suggestion of a conflict of interest as an “obvious distortion,” though its spokesman notably included his preferred pronouns in his email signature. Draw your own conclusions.

Is this the real playbook behind the Democrats’ nationwide push on the transgender agenda? Punish your state, ignore your voters, undermine parents, potentially endanger children – all while the well-connected benefit? It certainly looks that way in Maine.

Key Takeaways:

• Gov. Mills risks school funds defying Trump on transgender policies opposed by many Maine citizens.
• Potential conflict: Mills’ sister profits from youth trans services boosted by the governor’s policies.
• Mills appears to prioritize radical agendas and donor interests over parental rights and taxpayers.

Sources: Daily Wire