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.
