This Never Happens

The original This Never Happens documented 236 cases of trans-identified males — biological men — committing acts of violence, sexual assault, and predation against women and children.

Of course, these cases continue to pour in and we’ll continue to record them.

Andrea Balcer (born Andrew Balcer)

Photo credit: WGME CBS 13. Pronoun usage note: Publications reporting on the expansion of this lawsuit used female or gender-neutral plural pronouns when referring to Balcer. WGME mixed female and neutral plural pronouns, stating, “The lawsuit alleges transgender inmate Andrea Balcer made unwanted sexual contact... and exposed themselves to the three female inmates...” and noting “she was known as Andrew Balcer.” The Law Commentary article similarly used female pronouns, writing that female inmate Sargent “claims Balcer regularly harassed her, threatened to rape her, and exposed herself.” The Bangor Daily News largely avoided pronouns for Balcer, referring to the perpetrator by name (”Andrea Balcer” or “Balcer”), while referencing the female victims with female pronouns.

A high-profile controversy in Maine’s prison system has significantly intensified. On Thursday, May 28, 2026, three additional incarcerated women—Jennifer Albert, Michaela Sargent, and Danielle Foster—officially signed onto a federal civil rights lawsuit filed against the Maine Department of Corrections. The lawsuit, originally initiated in April 2026 by female inmate Katie Mountain, challenges Maine’s gender identity housing policies that allow biological male convicts who identify as transgender women to be housed in women’s facilities.

The lawsuit centers on the terrifying actions of 28-year-old Andrea Balcer (born Andrew Balcer). In October 2016, at the age of 17, Balcer committed a horrific crime in Winthrop, Maine, stabbing both of his parents (Alice and Antonio Balcer) and the family’s chihuahua dog to death inside their family home. Balcer was convicted as an adult and sentenced in 2018 to serve 40 years in prison. Having transitioned to a female identity while incarcerated, corrections officials transferred this male double-murderer from the male population at the Maine State Prison to the female units at the Maine Correctional Center in Windham.

Under this housing arrangement, Balcer gained direct, unmonitored access to female prisoners, many of whom are serving sentences for non-violent offenses such as drug charges. The newly filed court documents describe a living nightmare for the female inmates bunked with or housed near Balcer. The original plaintiff, Katie Mountain, was housed in the same cell as Balcer starting in January 2026. She alleges that Balcer subjected her to graphic sexual stories, trapped her in a bathroom, trapped her in a closet and forcibly kissed her, and made repeated threats of rape and impregnation.

The three women who joined the lawsuit on May 28 add even more chilling allegations of unwanted sexual contact, groping, indecent exposure, and graphic threats of violence. In her court filings, Michaela Sargent describes waking up in the dead of night to find Balcer standing over her bunk, silently stroking her hair. Balcer threatened her, stating, “if you don’t wake up it’s because I smothered you with a pillow.” On another occasion, Balcer grabbed Sargent’s shirt, demanding, “show me your boobs,” and later cornered her saying, “I want to lick your face.” Plaintiff Danielle Foster alleges that Balcer regularly stood entirely naked in her room while she slept and suggested she could “do things” to her in her sleep.

The lawsuit also details systemic retaliation by prison officials. The plaintiffs’ attorney, Cynthia Dill, revealed that when the female prisoners complained about the ongoing abuse, or when they refused to affirm Balcer’s transgender identity, prison administrators punished them. The female victims were subjected to retaliatory segregation (solitary confinement), stripped of privileges, denied hygiene supplies and medication, and threatened with the loss of eligibility for early release.

The plaintiffs are suing Maine Department of Corrections Commissioner Randall Liberty and Maine Correctional Center Superintendent Joy Ryder, arguing that the department’s housing policy exhibits “deliberate indifference to the safety, privacy and civil rights of women incarcerated in the State of Maine.” They are seeking a permanent injunction to end the housing of biological males in female facilities, alongside damages for the severe psychological trauma they have suffered