Hope Rovelto, Owner of “Little Chair Printing,” 648 Congress Street, Portland, Shows One of the Black T-Shirts She Prints With Dual Messages on Them. The Back of the T Shirt Says: “Protect Trans Youth.”
Print Making Equipment at Little Chair Printing, 648 Congress Street, Portland, Earlier This Week.
“See You in Court,” the immortal words of Governor Janet T. Mills are memoralized in over a thousand T shirts that Hope Rovelto, owner of Little Chair Printing, has produced and sold since late February 2025. The Ts come in a wide range of sizes to fit everyone – up to 6X. She makes them affordable as well to be sure that everyone who wants one gets one. “I don’t want anyone who wants one to go without one,” she said earlier this week.
The now immortal words were spoken by the Maine Governor during a National Governors Assoiciation meeting in Washigton, DC in late February. At the White House meeting the President called her out. He asked if Maine was going to comply with his Title IX executive order. He threatened to withdraw all federal funding if the State didn’t meet his demands. He admitted that Maine is a Blue state which he narrowly lost, but he would see to it that she never won another election if she did not comply with his demands since he is the law. The Governor responded”: “I’ll see you in Court.”
The day after that riveting exchange between the Governor Mills and the Presidet at the White House, Chris OI’ ‘Connor, Executive Director of the Equality Commuity Center, 15 Casco Street called Rovelto. Together the two put their creative heads together and formed a partnership. It was intended to thank the Governor for standing up for the trans gender community and at the same time to acknowledge her integrity and courage in the face of the bully who currently resides at the White House. Tributes to both are on the black T-shirts in stock at Little Chair Printing. “We wanted to show our support for the Governor because of her support for us,” said O’Connor on the telephone today.
Ms. Rovelto said she has sold over 1,000 of the shirts. She is donating all the proceeds from the sale to the trans gender community via Chris O’Connor. To date she has donated over $15,000. to the community. “I’m glad to help the community in this way. There was a time when I couldn’t have done this, but now I can.” Ms. Rovelto said that she continues to receive between 5 and 10 emails a day from people ordering these unique Ts. Customers place an order via email and then arrive at her downtown storefront to pick them up. She said she doesn’t know yet if the Trump tariffs will hurt her business. She should find out the answer to that soon – maybe next month.
Ms. Rovelto earned her BFA from the Maine College of Art and Design and holds a master’s degree from the Rochester Institute of Technlogy.