Wayne Maines the director of Safety and environmental management or the University of Maine college system is the spokesman for the all American male. He is an Air force Veteran, very conservative, voted republican and the picture of masculinity. Father to two adorable twin boys, and has a lovely wife. From the outside this family was the picture of perfection. Maines’s world has always been challenged by the fact his son has always identified as a female. This challenged Maine’s views on what it means to be a man. The irony of Maines’s Job is to keep the university of Amine system safe but he struggled to keep his family safe.
Jonas has always accepted his sister as Nicole. He was her biggest advocate in getting his dad to understand her.
“I really just wished my son was gay,” Maines told the crowd during his Distinguished Lecture Series speech. “I think it would have been, easier to accept that.”
The topic of Transgender rights has come into heavy rotations since Olympic gold medalist Bruce Jenner transition in Caitlyn Jenner. With the shift in views of millennials the acceptance of transgender men and women has come a long way and still has a long way to go. What makes Wayne Maines a hero was he was fighting the fight for LGBTQ in 2005 when it was not popular to talk about. He challenged school systems to let his daughter use the bathroom she identified with.
“I am a firm believer that most Americans—and most police officers—are good people who want to do the right things to protect our children and communities. But sometimes our biases can blind us. And sometimes law enforcement can stumble in developing and implementing policies because they have not had the opportunity to learn from experts and families in their community. Below the surface, there are still too many fears about race, religion, sexual orientation and gender that can fester and stop real progress toward full equality for every American.
“I know firsthand because my fears kept me from supporting my own child, who is transgender. I was forced to explore my deepest fears so I could protect my children. Doing so helped me become a better father, a better man and a better citizen.
“I am not a police officer. I am just a parent who has struggled with raising a child whom many people in our country are not ready to support. My child happens to be transgender. There are other parents who are struggling to keep their children safe because their children are African American or Muslim or just perceived as being different. We all need to reach out to law enforcement agencies and ask for an opportunity to tell our stories, to make it real for the officers in the room, to prepare them for the hard discussions and the easy answers that can come when we break through fears we might not even know we have.”
His family was the topic of a book called “Becoming Nicole: The Extraordinary Transformation of an American Family” by Amy Ellis Nutt. This book is in the development stages of becoming a feature film. Maines loved the idea of getting his family’s story to a broader audience that can see that there are family going through the same thing. The Maines family can be seen on an upcoming HBO special.
“I heard of his work down state years ago and I couldn’t believe he was here at UMPI,” Michelle a political science student said. “He was the reason why many of my friends enrolled to Orono because he made that university a safe place for transgender youth.”
