In Scarborough, Maine, a Republican legislator has taken legal action against the state’s Democratic House Speaker following her formal criticism for a social media post regarding a transgender athlete’s participation in high school sports.
Representative Laurel Libby had published a post about a high school athlete who achieved victory in a girls’ track event. Her post included a photograph of the student, identified by first name with quotation marks, suggesting their previous participation in boys’ track events.
The post garnered significant attention and incited a dispute between former President Donald Trump and Democratic Governor Janet Mills. This controversy also triggered a formal reprimand by the Democrat-majority Maine House of Representatives against Libby in February, with Democratic House Speaker Ryan Fecteau accusing her of breaching the state’s legislative ethics code.
In response, Libby has filed a federal lawsuit against Fecteau and House Clerk Robert Hunt, arguing that the reprimand infringed upon her freedom of speech. The lawsuit also contends that the censure deprived her of her right to speak and vote on the House floor, consequently disenfranchising the thousands of residents she represents.
“I have the constitutional right to express myself, and my constituents deserve full representation in the Maine House. Biological males should not compete in girls’ sports. Under federal law, our girls are entitled to fair competition in athletics,” Libby declared in a statement.
The lawsuit seeks to declare the censure invalid and restore Libby’s voting and speaking privileges on the House floor.
Representatives for Fecteau and Hunt have chosen not to comment on the lawsuit, deferring questions to the office of the state attorney general, which has also chosen not to comment on the ongoing legal proceedings.
During the time of the censure, Fecteau stated that Libby’s actions breached ethical standards by sharing a minor’s image online.
“Posting images of minors online without their consent violates the trust and respect between citizens and their representatives. Policy discussions have appropriate times and places, which should never involve a social media attack on a student in Maine,” Fecteau remarked in February.
Libby’s post was followed by a public dispute between Trump and Mills at a governors’ meeting at the White House in February.
Shortly after taking office, Trump signed an executive order aimed at barring transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports. Trump criticized Maine’s stance and told Mills, “you’re not getting any federal funding” during the governors’ meeting.
In response, Mills asserted, “We’ll see you in court.” The Trump administration subsequently launched an investigation that concluded Maine violated Title IX, a federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in educational programs.