The Maine House of Representatives voted to censure Rep. Laurel Libby on Tuesday night due to a recent social media post highlighting that a transgender high school athlete won a girls’ competition. The censure resolution, led by the Democratic majority and Speaker Ryan Fecteau, passed with a vote of 75-70. As a result, Libby is prohibited from speaking on the House floor or voting until she issues an apology. In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital following the vote, Libby stated that she does not intend to apologize for her post. After the censure was announced, Fecteau suggested a break for Libby to consider her apology, to which she responded, “We do not need to take ease,” affirming her commitment to advocate for Maine girls.
Libby’s controversial post, made last Sunday, pointed out that a transgender athlete had won first place in a Maine girls’ pole vault competition after previously competing as a boy. The basis for her censure was the inclusion of a photo of a minor along with the minor’s name. Libby defended her actions, stating, “It’s a remarkable double standard as there are public photos of this individual in many places, on social media and even some posted by his school. This was an individual who participated in a public event, who publicly stood on a podium and accepted a championship medal that rightfully belonged to the girls standing on the second-place spot.”
House Majority Leader Matt Moonen criticized Libby on the House floor, asserting that she had irreparably broken the trust placed in her as an elected official. “This institution and all of Maine deserve better,” he said. Conversely, House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham opposed the censure, noting that the state legislature’s ethics code does not address members’ online posts.
During the vote, Libby arrived with a prepared seven-page speech emphasizing the need to protect girls’ and women’s sports from transgender inclusion. However, her microphone was repeatedly turned off as she attempted to speak. “I was completely unable, from my first sentence, to get a word out, before the other side was shutting me down,” Libby remarked, expressing her disbelief at the situation. Following the hearing, she shared a video of her speech on Facebook.
While Libby has no plans to apologize, she mentioned that she has another strategy in mind to regain her voting and speaking privileges, though she did not provide further details.
