Has this election cycle been frightening? Come SCARE out the vote on October 24 at Benjamin's in downtown Bangor for a fun evening with dancing, music, reffles and more! Get ready for Bangor's only halloween-themed dance party!

Come for the costume contest, but stay for the voter registration. Proceeds support our effort to turn out 20,000 swing voters this season - sweat out the scaries with the Maine Women's Lobby and Bangor’s very own, Carmilla Velour! FMI / Registration here.

Join the Maine Women's Lobby for a free viewing of Thelma and Louise (1991) at Center Theatre in Dover-Foxcroft on Friday, October 16 at 7:00 PM. Come for the movie, but stay for a panel discussion with Partners for Peace and Rape Response Services.

Get your tickets today! Click HERE for tickets.

Accessibility notes: There are a couple of marked ADA spots  in the parking lot and others that aren't marked that are fully accessible. There are no steps to access the building or the auditorium. Inside of the theatre, there is a platform that can hold three wheelchairs. 

Start off your scary season with the Maine Women’s Lobby and join us for a free screening of Jennifer's Body (2009) at The Emporium in Downtown Bangor! Come for the movie and stay for a facilitated discussion afterwards.

To get your free ticket sign up here!

Join the Maine Women’s Lobby and the Downeast Rainbow Alliance for a Trans Justice and Civic Engagement Workshop! On October 8 from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM you will learn more about what matters to trans folks and how to use your voice to advocate for them. This is a chance to work on your civic engagement skills ahead of the election!

This event is free, and open to anyone. A meal will be provided.

Registration is required by 9/25. Register HERE

Maine’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Program is a reality! Now we can share how it’s working.

The Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave Benefits Authority will host a public hearing on September 29 at 9am (register HERE) to take public comments from workers, caregivers, employers and self-employed individuals on their experiences with Maine’s PFML program.

Have you used Maine's new PFML program?
If so, the Maine Paid Leave Benefits Authority needs to hear from YOU! Now is the time to share the good, the hard, and everything in between. Your experience is evidence—and your voice can help shape what comes next.  

Learn more about the PFML public comments at bit.ly/PFMLComm26

Now is your chance speak up!

Join us for a night of crafting and zine making for action!  Get ready to strengthen your skills to talk with your candidates about care work.  This Action Hour is on Wednesday, September 2 at 5:00 PM at LoveLab Studio in Portland and will be packed with discussion, crafting and actions so everyone can leave being a more informed and empowered Care Voter.

All participants must sign up in advance. Please RSVP here.

Join us for a night of crafting and zine making for action!  Get ready to strengthen your skills to talk with your candidates about care work.  This Action Hour is on Tuesday, August 25 at 5:00 PM at Red Rabbit Bazaar in Bangor and will be packed with discussion, crafting and actions so everyone can leave being a more informed and empowered Care Voter.

All participants must sign up in advance. Please RSVP here.

Join us at the Penobscot Marine Museum for a women's history tour! Learn about the women who kept the homeport and accompanied their sea captain husbands on voyages at sea. Women played an important role in Maine maritime history, and during this tour we'll hear their often untold stories. You are welcome to stay after the tour and explore the rest of the museum!

Advanced registration is required! This is a family friendly tour.

Tickets are $10 / person or $45 / family.

Register here.

As we witness the rollbacks of fundamental civil and human rights at the Federal level, we must use every tool to ensure our state level rights remain protected. The Inclusive Equal Rights Amendment proposes to enshrine equal rights for ALL in our Maine Constitution and would be a concrete way to ensure our fundamental rights. Join us for a presentation from the Maine Women’s Lobby’s Linda Smith Dyer Fellow, Samantha Lassey, for an overview of how a Maine ERA can create a more gender just future.

Register here.

Join us for a discussion on Maine’s reproductive and maternal health care crisis.  Get ready to strengthen your skills to talk with your candidates about health care access solutions.  This Action Hour is on Tuesday, July 28 at 5:00 PM on Zoom and will be packed with learning, skill building and actions so everyone can leave being a more informed and empowered Care Voter. 

This event is facilitated by Maine Women’s Lobby staff – bring your enthusiasm and come ready to participate to Get Out the Care Vote!

Register here.

Maine has lost ten birthing units in ten years - nearly all in rural areas. At the same time, cuts from Congress are devastating rural family planning clinics across America. The solutions to address the rural care crisis are creative and community driven, and is a great example of multi-level / multi-pronged policy efforts -- join us on Thursday, July 16 at 12pm on Zoom to learn how Maine is addressing the rural maternal health care crisis through new initiatives focused on community care.

Register here.

We are thrilled to once again bring our community together for an evening of delicious food and drink, beautiful summer blooms and fierce feminist fellowship! We will return to Broadturn Farm on Thursday, July 9 for what's become one of our favorite annual traditions. Tickets for this very special event are now for sale.

With your ticket (or gift in lieu of attendance!) you are personally contributing to our work to get out the vote during this crucial election season! For more information on where, when, what and more, click here.

Join us for a discussion on Maine’s care economy and policy priorities and get ready to strengthen your skills to talk with your candidates about care solutions. This Action Hour is on Tuesday, June 30 at 5:00 PM on Zoom and will be packed with learning, skill building and actions so everyone can leave being an more informed and empowered Care Voter.

This event is facilitated by Maine Women’s Lobby staff, Lily James and Catie Reed. Please bring your enthusiasm and come ready to participate to Get Out the Care Vote!

Register here.

Maine is creating more welcoming and gender equitable workplaces through policies and programs that support the needs of employers and workers.  Join us on Thursday, June 18 at 12pm on Zoom to hear Maine leaders discuss the policies and initiatives advancing gender equity across the state.  

Guest panelists include Maine Department of Labor Commissioner Laura Fortman and Elinor Higgins, executive director of the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women.  During this webinar you will learn more about Maine’s newly launched Paid Family and Medical Leave program as well as initiatives designed to improve gender equity, including Women in Trades and efforts to strengthen sexual harassment prevention in the workplace.

Register here.

What does art have to do with liberation? What comes to your mind when you think about art and gender justice? Join us and Amy Tingle, Program Director of Waterfall Arts in conversation and art making around what gender justice and liberation look like for you and your community. No art experience necessary!

Waterfall Arts is a community arts center located in Belfast, Maine that meets its mission of nurturing and inspiring creative expression across mid-coast Maine through classes and workshops, exhibitions, community studios, events, and arts outreach programs.

RSVP for the event HERE!

Join us at anodyne book shop in Searsport and have fun with crafts and conversation! BYO craft, use some of our supplies, or learn how to make a zine! This is a chance for you to get to know the Maine Women's Lobby better, and for us to get to know you and hear about what's on your mind.

Everyone who participates will leave with their personally crafted zine!

RSVP for the event HERE!

April Sip & Share: The Second Session in Review

It’s that time again, where things are busy and also winding down in Augusta. Join us on April 21 at 5pm on Zoom to take a look back and reflect on what happened and possibly didn’t happen in Maine’s 2nd Session of the Legislature.  The session is coming to a close and we are focused on doing some review so we can take a moment to look forward at what comes next.

This session will offer our own review of the Session and include opportunities for discussion to hear what mattered most to you this year.  Come ready to chat and meet new people interested in moving the needle on gender justice.

Registration is required. CLICK HERE to register on Zoom registration

If you have questions or need assistance, please contact Catie at catie@mainewomen.org.

Join the Maine Women's Lobby and the Colonial Theatre in Belfast for a screening of an iconic feminist film - "Thelma & Louise"! We'll be at the beautiful Colonial at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 18 to cheer and cry at this galvanizing and fierce movie. We'll also have a discussion panel after the film to talk about its themes and impact 35 years after its release - more on that soon.

Tickets are available at the Colonial box office or online at colonialtheatre.com - a portion of which benefits the MWL! We hope you'll join us!

April’s Lunch & Learn: The State Budget Explained

Grab your lunch and bring your questions! Join us on April 8 for this month’s lunch & learn!  We are going to share everything you need to know about the Legislature’s budget process, timeline, and understanding the Appropriations table. Not sure where to start? Don’t worry, you’re not alone! Join us to learn more.

This session will offer an overview followed by a discussion so you have everything you need to be confident when you follow the budget process in Augusta.  This event will prepare you for the Sip & Share in a couple of weeks where we will debrief the 132nd Legislative Session.

Registration is required. CLICK HERE to register on Zoom

If you have questions or need assistance, please contact Catie at catie@mainewomen.org.

We're taking it to the ice this month! Join the Maine Women's Lobby for Women in Sports Day with the Maine Mariners, as they take on the Reading Royals at 3 p.m., Sunday, March 22 at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland.

We celebrate ALL women in sports, so we're thrilled to take part in this annual event. The MWL will be there with lots of information and handouts about all the work we do - and we want you to join us for the game! Click this exclusive link to purchase tickets for the Women in Sports Day game, and a portion of those sales will benefit the MWL!

We hope to see you when the puck drops!

Tax Fairness is Gender Justice

Join us on Tuesday, March 17 at 5pm for this month’s sip and share. We will host a discussion on the intersection between tax policy & gender equity.

Be the first to know about our monthly programs! Click HERE to sign up for the 2026 program email list to get Zoom links and detailed information.

Women’s History Month: Maine women who changed policy and everyday life

Join us on Wednesday, March 11 at 12pm for this month’s lunch and learn. We will hear from programs who carry on the legacy of women with deep ties to Maine who changed policy and everyday life.

Be the first to know about our monthly programs! Click HERE to sign up for the 2026 program email list to get Zoom links and detailed information.

Pushing Forward through Backlash

While there’s always work to be done, good progress in the fight for gender and racial justice and civil rights has been made in Maine and across the country. Why are we now seeing so much backlash and backwards momentum? Especially in the face of strong data and proven efficacy for policy change, why can’t we make progress on reforms? Join us to chat about the wave of backlash we’re seeing and how we can work together to keep making progress.

Be the first to know about our monthly programs! Click HERE to sign up for the 2026 program email list to get Zoom links and detailed information.

Maine’s Care Policies - A policy and practice panel discussion

Maine has made significant progress in changing how we address the need to care for our families through policies like Paid Family and Medical Leave, child care subsidies, and more! We have spent years moving to a Maine that recognizes care work IS work and there is still so much more to do to strengthen Maine’s care economy. This lunch and learn we will hear from policy and organizing leaders from the Maine Council on Aging, Maine People’s Alliance and Southern Maine Workers Center about policy and practice that makes Maine a more “caring” state.

Be the first to know about our monthly programs! Click HERE to sign up for the 2026 program email list to get Zoom links and detailed information.

Our 5 p.m. Sip & Share (Jan. 20) will feature a group chat about the first year of the Trump Administration. What have we learned? What steps will we take in 2026 to combat the cuts, cruelty and chaos coming out of Washington? Bring your favorite beverage and get ready to spill the tea.

This discussion is held on Zoom. If you’ve never been to a Sip & Share before, please register here to let us know you’re coming!

For our noon Lunch & Learn (Jan. 14) this month, we'll be featuring speakers from Planned Parenthood and Maine Family Planning for a panel discussion about Maine's reproductive healthcare landscape. January marks the 53rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, so join us to look at the current state of things and where we go from here.

Register here to let us know you’re coming. If you’ve registered for one of our monthly sessions before, you don’t need to register again!

It's time to spill the tea on the 2nd session of the Maine Legislature, which kicks off in just a few weeks! Join us at our December Sip & Share event at 5 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 16 on Zoom, as we unpack our legislative priorities, explore the hot button bills and take a look at the entire vibe leading up to the start of the session. This is an informal discussion, so bring your favorite beverage and get ready to dish!

Please register here to let us know you're coming. Hope to see you there!