Maine Speaker Bans Rep From Voting Until She Recants Her Position On Boys In Girls' Sports

Posted • May 2, 2025: Here's a disturbing story out of Maine. State Rep. Laurel D. Libby has filed with the Supreme Court an emergency application for an injunction pending appeal against Maine Speaker of the House Ryan M. Fectea, who reportedly silenced Libby and prohibited her from voting after she spoke out on social media, criticizing the state's law that require girls to compete alongside transgender athletes. —— Maine lawmakers have formalized their disapproval of Representative Laurel Libby (R-Auburn) after her social media posts about a transgender athlete. The posts have received national attention, including from President Donald Trump, who threatened to cut Maine's federal funding because the state allows transgender students in girls' sports. In a Tuesday night vote, House lawmakers voted 75-70 to censure Libby. … Libby cannot vote on bills or speak on the House floor until she offers a public apology. The Representative says she will not take her Facebook post down.

"The citizens in my district are having their voices silenced as well," Libby said. "This is a huge infringement on my First Amendment right of free speech." —— Libby posted to Facebook after a boy won the girls' pole vault at the state track-and-field championship. It is telling that we had days of national handwringing in the press after the TN legislature expelled two members who *stopped the chamber doing its work*, but this—flat-out viewpoint discrimination—has received ten percent of the attention. —— Unreal: Maine's Speaker banned Rep. Libby (R-HD90) from speaking and voting unless she recants her views about Maine allowing biological males to participate in female sports. I've never seen a punishment like this. She isn't removed nor impeached: just banned from legislating. https://x.com/EWess92/status/1917658980412686789 —— Remember the "Tennessee Three"? They made the national media rounds and were invited to meet with President Joe Biden at the White House.

In order to save democracy we must kick presidential candidates off the ballot and make sure elected reps expressing different political views can’t vote. 🤡 This is insane. I hope the court quickly steps in because the consequences of allowing a legislative speaker to unilaterally stop a minority legislative member from voting based on a dislike for their views obviously has implications far beyond this case. It's Maine. This is what they voted for. This is the left. They don't believe in free speech. They haven't just barred her, they've essentially disenfranchised her constituents…outrageous. You know what they really want to do is just ban all members of the GOP from voting. Baby steps. Typical censorship by Democrat politicians of things they don't want disclosed, because it would prove to everyone how corrupt they are. (…)

• More at: Twitchy - Maine Speaker Bans Rep From Voting Until She Recants Her Position on Boys in Girls' Sports
https://twitchy.com/brettt/2025/05/01/maine-speaker-bans-rep-from-speaking-until-she-recants-her-position-in-womens-sports-n2412234
WMTW ABC 8 News: Maine House censures Republican lawmaker after post about transgender student
https://www.wmtw.com/article/maine-house-censures-republican-lawmaker-after-post-about-transgender-student/63924963