A newly elected school board member in Maine confronted his colleagues over a policy that could suspend students for intentionally using incorrect pronouns. Josh Tabor raised concerns about biological facts conflicting with gender identity rules during a heated exchange. The discussion, captured in a viral video, highlighted tensions over harassment definitions in schools.
Josh Tabor, elected as a write-in candidate for the North Berwick section of the Maine School Administrative District after a two-week campaign, challenged the board's bullying policy in a meeting that gained widespread attention online.
Tabor sought clarification on whether students could face suspension for misusing pronouns. "Just for clarification, is this the policy that’s used: if a student misuses a pronoun, they are suspended?" he asked. A board member responded, "An intentional, yeah, that’s part of the definition of bullying."
Tabor pressed further, questioning the implications for his daughters if they used "she" pronouns based on biological appearance. The board member affirmed, "Oh, yeah. That would be harassment." Expressing shock, Tabor stated, "When I heard that students are being suspended because they are using the wrong pronoun, I was aghast. I didn’t realize that." He emphasized biological realities, noting, "One is biological facts, it’s actually XX chromosome, XY chromosomes. Those are facts. We can’t change those... Those are immutable facts."
The board member clarified that suspensions apply not to genuine mistakes but to intentional acts aimed at harming others: "If someone is doing sort of what you’re sort of doing here, and sort of trying to attack somebody because you don’t agree with it... then yes, this policy should apply." Tabor denied any intent to attack, insisting, "I’m asking a general question."
Another board member interjected, asking, "What is your goal here? That they’re allowed to be dead-named?" Tabor replied, "I do not believe it is harmful to speak the truth." When challenged on the potential harm to students, he reiterated his stance.
Schools in Berwick and Lebanon, Maine, have confirmed the policy's application to intentional misgendering. The exchange spread via a tweet from Wall Street Apes on January 1, 2026, prompting comments from figures like AAG Harmeet Dhillon, who called it concerning amid investigations into similar policies elsewhere.
Tabor's involvement stemmed from a conversation with his father, who encouraged him to effect change from within education, despite Tabor's initial view of it as a "viper pit."
