Maine State Representative Laurel Libby (R-ME) is speaking out after being censured by the state legislature for defending girls’ sports and criticizing a transgender athlete’s participation in a recent competition.
Libby took to social media to express her frustration, writing on X (formerly Twitter):
Her comments were in response to Governor Janet Mills (D-ME) and House Speaker Ryan Fecteau (D), who supported the censure.
The controversy started when Libby criticized a transgender-identifying athlete who won a girls’ high school track and field event. In a post on X, she stated:
“Another day, another instance of an unremarkable biological male athlete (who couldn’t win against other males) dominating girls’ sports.”
Her remarks sparked backlash among Democratic lawmakers, and soon after, the Maine House voted 75-70 to censure her, meaning she is now barred from speaking on the House floor until she issues a formal apology.
Speaker Ryan Fecteau led the charge to censure Libby, calling her remarks offensive. However, Libby refused to back down, telling reporters:
“I told him, ‘We do not need to take ease’ as I was going to continue speaking up for Maine girls.”
This controversy in Maine reflects a larger, national debate over transgender athletes competing in women’s sports.
Former President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order aimed at protecting women’s sports, stating:
“It is the policy of the United States to rescind all funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities, which results in the endangerment, humiliation, and silencing of women and girls and deprives them of privacy.”
The lawmaker’s post spurred Democrat House Speaker Ryan Fecteau to launch a campaign to silence Libby. On Tuesday night, the censure was passed in a 75-70 vote. Libby is no longer allowed to speak on the house floor until she issues a formal apology, Fox News reported.
After the censure vote passed, Fecteau announced that the session would take a break while Libby considered her apology. But Libby was defiant.
“I told him, ‘We do not need to take ease’ as I was going to continue speaking up for Maine girls,” Libby told the media later.
Mills and Trump clashed over the executive order, with the governor defying it and continuing to support policies that allow transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports.
Libby has made it clear that she will not apologize and will continue speaking out on behalf of female athletes in Maine.
With growing national attention on the issue, this fight is far from over.
