The Maine House of Representatives voted 75 to 70 on Tuesday to censure Rep. Laurel Libby (R-Auburn) for posting a viral image on social media that showed a male athlete taking first place in a girls’ track and field contest.
The image set off an internet firestorm, with tens of thousands of social media users sharing the image and commenting on Maine’s policy of allowing young men to compete against young women.
The controversy was further elevated when Maine Gov. Janet Mills, who supports the policy, clashed in person with President Donald Trump, who had recently issued an executive order protecting female athletes from being forced to compete against males.
Trump, who became aware of Maine’s continued violation of federal civil rights law through the viral post, repeatedly said Maine stood to lose federal funding if the state continued to defy federal law and his executive order.
Mills subsequently said the matter would be settled “in court.”
Also on Tuesday, Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a stark letter to Gov. Mills warning her that Maine’s continued policy of forcing female athletes to compete against male athletes was a violation of federal civil rights laws.
“Requiring girls to compete against boys in sports and athletic events violates Title IX,” Bondi said.
As such, Bondi said she would vigorously investigate Maine’s Department of Education and Department of Health and Human Services for other potential violations of federal law.
Those investigations could result in the federal government taking action against the state of Maine, including the withdrawal of federal grants and subsidies.
“If these or other federal investigations show that the relevant Maine entities are indeed denying girls an equal opportunity to participate in sports and athletic events by requiring them to compete against boys, the Department of Justice stands ready to take all appropriate action to enforce federal law,” Bondi said.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="35931 https://www.themainewire.com/?p=35931">36 Comments
“Sharing images of kids online without their consent is a clear violation of the bond of trust and respect between citizens and their Legislators. There is a time and place for policy debates. That time and place will never be a social media post attacking a Maine student. Maine kids, and all Maine people, deserve better,” – House Speaker Ryan Fecteau (D-Biddeford)
Images taken from online sites where these athletes had previously allowed their images to be posted into the public arena violates no right. Laurel Libby simply reposted previously presented images from a public forum. The only problem is she posted 2 images together to show a more complete story. If I allowed my pictures to be posted publicly after winning any type of event I could not complain about those pictures being shown again. The consent for those pictures to be shown publicly had already been given.
Hmmm, sounds like retaliation for reporting a crime, you know there’s laws protecting whistle blowers and I believe the penalty is censure. Now that’s ironic. I say lawyer up and take em for all they got.
Kids cant consent dumb ass.
Lol dems digging their own graves!
Democrats going after kids because one dared to smirk at an activist banging a drum in their face…. That’s OK… A republican using already posted images of a boy pretending to be a girl…. That’s not OK…….
Tom are you the Picher or the Catcher ?
Laurel ,how about strip Susan Collins of her right to vote till she comes to her senses and apologizes .. LMAO. and Jared Golden too ,Oh wait doesn’t stand for anything anyway !
Thank you for standing up. Laurel Libby !
Growing your hair long and calling yourself by a different name does not make a girl, he should still be on the boys team.
The Democrupt Tyranny Continues in The People’s Republic of Maine.
Of course the fact that the Press Herald had previously posted the image was conveniently ignored by these Democrat pieces of garbage. Every last one of them is an embarressing disgrace!
THIS is what they’re defending. (morons). https://thepostmillennial.com/trans-maine-high-schooler-with-prior-sexual-harassment-allegations-brutally-attacks-female-classmate-report (boy beats the snot out of a girl).
Think the dems would be UP IN ARMS if this happened at a high school track meet? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7dyJfUxgOw
Commissar Mills received full support of her Supreme Soviet Communist Democrat legislature!
Looks like Maine legislators have a problem with the truth. Dictators always do.
Perhaps the Maine Wire could post who voted against Libby. I see photos of high school athletes in the newspaper all the time. WTFO?
Does this mean that high school sporting events will no longer permit photos or videos in Maine?
This Greeley high male’s photo, full birth name of John Rydzewski, and “female” alias of Katie Spencer were published all over the national news prior to Rep Laurel Libby using his photo. Thus, there was no reason for Rep. Laurel Libby not to use his photo. The censoring of Libby shows just how out of touch Maine Dumbocraps are.
In Maine 57 of its 192 school districts have policies that exclude parents from knowing whether their children start identifying as transgender. Is yours on the list? Check out the story @ The Federalist.
This is one more reason why the democrats need to be voted OUT in 2026 .
They are dishonest self serving liars who need to be defeated .
Is it true that Janet Mills was arrested for crack possession in New Jersey ?
If it’s true HOW has that been covered up by the media . ?
Maine voters NEED to Know .
MISINFORMATION in Cumberland? C. Mitchell, D, Cumberland, publicly stated on Channel 13 that there have been threats to the transgender child and family. Please produce police report and statement. I doubt the threat allegation. I swim at Greely pool. Monday AM, there was a notice on the pool/gym entrance: “students please use main entrance.” A policeman stood outside the building. Today there was nothing; back to normal. Where is the statement from police? I think Dems are using the Jesse Smollet tactic: Lie. Maine Wire: Please investigate.
All ballots for all elected officials should include party affiliation of each candidate so voters can easily identify the Communist Democrat candidates.
Republicans must find and support sane charismatic candidates willing to make sacrifices to truly serve the best interests of Maine citizens.
She did not share images of “kids.” She commented on already public posts celebrating the win by the male athlete over girls, a male athlete who is legally an adult. The censure vote was a despicable and cowardly grandstand virtue signal.
Laurel posted pictures that were publically available. The information such as his name and the fact that he is actually a dude, was already publicly available information as well. Laurel brought light to an issue that needed light. This is an 80-20 issue in Maine. 67% of DEMOCRATs thing that men should stay out of women’s sports.
Even if you think that Laurel should not have shared this (already publicly available and reported on) information, the censure measure is extremely excessive. It had only been used once before last term and that was for a man who had assaulted someone. The two last year were for Rep. Lemelin and Spudnicki (both Republicans) making comments that lacked tact. Now they have used it to silence Laurel for bringing light to the issue Maine Democrats are failing the hardest on.
They didn’t even let Laurel talk. They interrupted her over and over and over again (I was there). She had spent all day writing a pre-prepared 5-page speech and she didn’t get to say it because parts of it talked about the policy that the post she was being censured for was about. The Democrats let their own people say whatever they wanted about Laurel. The double standard is insane. They censured Laurel yet Rep. Miliken, a Democrat, praised a cop-killer on social media. She got no flack from her party.
Now Laurel cannot vote or speak on the house floor until she apologizes. They are treating her like a child. “You can’t do what you were elected to do until you say sorry.” And the speaker can just decide whether her apology would be sufficient or not. “Oh, you didn’t mean it, you still can’t come back.” This is tyrannical and an abuse of power. Thankfully Laurel won’t apologize (she shouldn’t) and this will likely bring more support and light to our cause.
Thank You for standing up for Maine girls Laurel
Janet, FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsL93xvucgU
WOW censured for the truth, and using previously web posted photos to expose it. I may have to stop calling Mill’s Czarina and start using the title she obviously longs for Chairman.
Commie (B)witch.
The boy was in the paper. No one complained when photos accompanying phony accusations about kids from a Christian school were published.
Hypocrites.
And anyone who is coddling boys pretending to be girls are wrong and just as mentally incapacitated as the pretenders.
A real Mainer calling a spade a spade Libby is.
Hope they do and she sues the heck out of them.
It’s about time Republicans in Maine started showing a little backbone. Laurel Libby is the star of the Maine Republican Party as far as I’m concerned. I’ve never seen a weaker, more spineless, cowed group of “conservatives” in my entire life. They have literally been 100% invisible until Libby made that post. My advice to her, “Do NOT let this ridiculous “censure” slow your roll. We want more of it with more frequency.” Thank you Laurel Libby.
Well, we have at least one republican in Augusta that’s actually calling things as they are. Hopefully some of the other others will start growinga backbone. The main GOP has goota start getting their shit together. We need Maga candidates moving forward …not this slightly right of center Susan Collins nonsense.
Wish she was my Rep, we are stuck with Rep Stover who had never met a tax or budget increase she did not like.
I hope that Libby sues — it won’t be the first time the SJC had to reign in Democrats, it had to do that in 1880 when the Dems had their own legislature and Maine had 2 governors.
Ryan Fecteau has just painted a target on that tranny — the kid was anonymous before this, he isn’t now, but that’s Fecteau’s doing, not Libby’s.
Every nut and crazy knows where that kid is going to be during the day — Greely High School. That’s Fecteau’s doing…
Pictures of student athletes are everywhere!! Newspapers, online, school yearbooks, all probably without permission, other reps reposted the same picture, were they censured? Of course not! Laurel Libby should be protected from the wack jobs!! C’ Mon man!
Either way, hope that kid doesn’t hurt themselves, just cause WE adults can’t get our shit together.