Maine legislature censures lawmaker opposing gender ideology
Democrats in Maine’s House of Representatives censured State Rep. Laurel Libby (R-Auburn) on Tuesday after she opposed the state’s decision to continue allowing boys in girls’ sports.
Maine continues to allow males to compete against females despite President Donald Trump’s executive order denying federal funds to any entity that does so. State Rep. Libby called on the Trump administration to take action after a boy won first place this month in a girls’ pole vaulting state championship.
“The decision by the Maine Principals’ Association to continue allowing male athletes to compete against female athletes in school athletic competitions is outrageous,” Libby wrote on Facebook alongside a photo of the competitors. “Not only does their decision violate President Trump’s February 5 Executive Order but it jeopardizes the safety and privacy of female athletes, all while allowing male athletes to take medals, trophies, and podium spots away from women, effectively erasing them.”
She added, “I urge the Trump Administration to swiftly ensure that female athletes in Maine can once again compete on a level playing field, preserving the integrity of women’s sports. "
Democrats have now censured her on the pretext that she shared an identifiable photo of the transgender player, who is a minor. Libby countered that the photo was public and tried to give a statement on the House floor, but she was repeatedly interrupted. Her censure deprives her of the right to speak or cast a vote in the House.
After the vote, Libby posted a defiant statement in which she refused to be silenced.
“The Maine Democrat Majority has just moved to censure me, for speaking out against their failure to protect Maine girls and keep biological males out of girls’ sports,” Libby wrote on X. “Let me be clear: I will not be silenced and I will not allow the voices of Maine girls to be silenced.”
“Our girls deserve so much better than the ‘leadership’ that [Gov. Janet Mills] and the Maine Democrat Majority are currently offering,” she continued. “I will not be bullied into rejecting basic common sense: biological males have *no place* in girls’ sports. Period.”
Maine governor defies Trump
Maine Governor Janet Mills is openly defying Trump’s executive order against men in women’s sports, sparking a frosty exchange with the president at the White House last week.
“Anyone here from Maine?” Trump asked the crowd at an event with the National Governors Association. “They are still saying they want men to play in women’s sports and I cannot believe that they are doing that . . . so we’re not gonna give them any federal funding until they clean that up.”
Governor Mills responded, saying she would comply with state and federal law. Trump reminded her that “we are the federal law” and promised to withhold funding from Maine until the state complies with his order.
“See you in court,” Mills said.
“I look forward to that. That should be a real easy one,” Trump countered as he appeared to jot down a note. Within hours, the US Department of Education announced an investigation into Maine’s Education Department for Title IX violations.
Americans want separate sports
Recent polls show that most Americans are overwhelmingly fed up with gender ideology and oppose allowing men in women’s sports.
According to a New York Times/Ipsos survey in January, eight in ten Americans say men should be banned from women’s sports, even those who claim to be female. The number included 94% of Republicans and 67% of Democrats. The survey results match those of a Napolitan poll published last year which found that 75% of Americans want men banned from women’s sports, bathrooms, locker rooms, and showers, while 13% say men should be allowed in those spaces as long as they claim (pretend) to be female.
