Maine Republican running for governor cites Noah’s Ark tale as proof trans kids don’t exist

A Republican running for governor in Maine compared transgender youth to children who consider those who identify as animals.Bobby Charles, in an interview with Christian Civic League of Maine leader Nick Adolphsen, offered a condescending view of LGBTQ+ students, comparing gender dysphoria to phobias and what he characterized as other mental health conditions.“You've got kids now that apparently think that they're cats and dogs, and we are accommodating that,” Charles said. “Garbage. What do you do, by the way, when you get to be 20, and you break it to them? Actually you’re not a can and you will have to go to work and going to not do this kitty litter crap anymore?”Charles's remarks echoed a long-running false claim that schools are accommodating students who identify as animals by providing them with litter boxes. The claim has been repeatedly debunked by school districts, journalists, and fact-checking organizations. Some schools have kept buckets, litter, or absorbent materials in emergency kits for use during lockdowns or other emergencies, but there is no evidence that schools are providing litter boxes to students because they identify as animals.The comments came after Adolphsen, during a conversation about parental rights, suggested Maine schools were helping children “socially transition their gender without notifying parents.” Charles said he would issue an executive order on his first day as governor to put a stop to that.“I’m going to make Donald Trump, who I like, look slow,” he said. “We’re going to move very fast, but that might be number one.”The anti-LGBTQ+ views were being voiced to a friendly audience in Adolphsen, whose organization has lobbied state officials to apply a “Biblical approach” to government and has advocated for barring gender-affirming care for youth while allowing conversion therapy in the state.Related: Elliot Page learned 'the obvious truth' from his new doc: Nature is queerCharles made clear he