“It’s Real. I Swear to God” — Maine Residents Blast Bouncers Who Don’t Think State Is an Actual Place

It's easy to forget sometimes that certain states don't exist, like Rhode Island, Wyoming, and Maine. While there will probably be throngs of people from the aforementioned states who will throw their arms up in the air in anger, don't worry. I'm from New Jersey, so it's not like my place of birth is necessarily getting a lot of love either. We're known as New York's taint/armpit, I'd rather be forgotten than associated with those gnarly body parts.

But just because it's easy to forget that these places do indeed exist and aren't accessed through a child's wardrobe as part of some whimsical journey into the unknown, doesn't mean that there aren't official government documents associated with them.

This can be a rather tough concept to explain to bouncers, apparently, and it's a phenomenon that TikToker @bigkhakis confronted firsthand after she was trying to get into a bar and security at the front door gave her a hard time about getting in because they just couldn't wrap their heads around the fact that her Maine ID card was indeed a legitimate form of identification.

She talked about her embarrassing dilemma in a viral TikTok that she begins with a titled plea for everyone who once resided in Maine and are now living in another area: "I don't know if anyone who relates to this will actually see this but I just wanna say as a plea for everyone who has a Maine license and has moved to a different state."

"Maine licenses are real licenses. People actually live in Maine I promise. I swear to God. I know if you're a bouncer you don't want to believe this information. If you're a bartender I know it's a benefit of the doubt you do not want to give it to us but I swear to God, it's a real license. There's a cute little pine tree, there's fish you can hold it up to the light and the see the thing."

She ended her diatribe by doubling down and stating: "It's real. Maine license is a real license, it's real, it's real I swear. I swear to God. I swear," she repeats over and over again until the video ultimately cuts out.

Despite @bigkhakis' constant exhortations about Maine actually existing, there are still a lot of Americans who are on the fence about the issue, according to Bangor Daily News, the publication named after the (alleged) state's capitol city.

The article's pithy title sums up its subject matter rather succinctly: "Many Americans don't think Maine is actually a state," the article reads, stating that there are a good deal of US citizens who, when traveling to Maine, ask whether or not if they'll need their passport to fly to the area.

That's because they think it's a part of Canada, and not one of the fifty-nifty United States: "It sounds absurd, but it’s shockingly common: Many people all across the country do not know that Maine is a part of the United States and not, in fact, a part of Canada. It’s as amusing as it is frustrating," the outlet continues.

So what's Maine known for, aside from TikTokers who are frustrated that bouncers and bartenders raise an eyebrow whenever they look at their ID cards? Well, there's a reason for a Pine Tree being featured on its ID cards: that's because around 90% of the state (give or take) is forest.

It's also one of the oldest US territories in American history: it was part of Massachussetts and was annexed as a section of the state in 1652. Due to the nature of its geography on the Atlantic coastline, Maine's cold waters make it an excellent breeding ground for all different types of sought-after sea life and fish, most famously among them: Maine Lobster.

One statistic about Maine might contribute to folks not thinking it's real and it could have to do with its population density: there are purportedly around 43.1 people per square mile in the state. Compare that to New Jersey, which has about 1,200 people per square mile and Maine's starting to feel pretty desolate in comparison. (Sure it's no Alaska or Wyoming, but the latter state is another that folks have a hard time remembering exists.)

TikToker @bigkhakis didn't seem to appreciate that the bouncers she's had issues with espoused this anti-Maine sentiment: "this goes out to the bouncers who screamed 'WHO TF LIVES IN MAINE' at me," she wrote in a caption for her video.

However, judging from the comments posted by folks who responded to her video, there were several folks who responded to her video who seemed to suggest that there were more than a few people who rocked fake IDs that rocked Maine as its home state.

"I used to be from Maine, then I turned 21," one person wrote.

"I’m so sorry, I’m the problem, I had a Maine fake," another person said.

Others said that their Hawaii driver's licenses always undergo strict scrutiny as well: "Same with Hawai’i! McLovin did some real damage, man every time I pull mine out they don’t think it’s real haha"