Laurel Libby last week filed a lawsuit against the House, arguing that her constitutional rights have been violated and that the 9,000 voters she represents have been disenfranchised.
The lawsuit signed by Libby and six of her constituents was filed in U.S. District Court in Bangor in response to action taken against Libby last month after she spoke out in a Facebook post against a biological male who won the state championship in the girls’ pole vault competition.
She included photos of the winning male in her post.
Democrats said the photos crossed a line. She argues that the photos were available elsewhere already. The subsequent vote to censure Libby was 75-70 along party lines, The Portland Press Herald reports.
The censure means Libby, while continuing to hold office, cannot vote or speak on the House floor.
“I posted about that [competition] with side-by-side photos of the young man participating last year and coming in fifth place as a male, and this year participating in the female [competition] and winning the state championship. That post was what was objectionable to my Democrat colleagues in the House,” Libby summarized on Washington Watch Friday.
“We’re fighting to get my voice and my vote back, so that I can represent my district once more,” she told show host Jody Hice.
The lawsuit seeks (1) to restore Libby’s rights to vote and speak, (2) an injunction to restore these privileges while the case plays out, and (3) reimbursement for attorney’s fees and “any other legal or equitable relief” that the court may feel led to provide.
Libby represents House District 90, the city of Minot and part of Auburn. She is just the fourth Maine lawmaker to be censured by the state legislature since 1820 – but the third Republican in the last year, according to The Press Herald.
“The Democrats in Maine who are in power in Augusta don't want to have a conversation about this policy because they know that it's wildly unpopular," Libby stated. "Rather than having a policy debate, they've simply tried to cancel me in order to shut down the conversation around girls' sports and ensuring that they have a safe, fair and level playing field.”
The censure isn’t temporary – and the Democrats are strongly united, she noted.
“The couple of folks I’ve spoken to since my censure think that this is completely warranted. I don’t see an end to the censure coming from the Democrat majority or the Speaker of the House,” she lamented.
Neither House Speaker Ryan Fecteau nor the Office of the Maine Attorney General have offered comment on the case to The Press Herald.
“The only way that my constituents will see this resolved and see me be able to fully represent them in the Statehouse is through action here in the courts, having our day in court and ensuring that they have a voice and vote,” Libby said.
Maine’s female athletes lose a voice
While Libby’s constituents are denied representation, female athletes in Maine have lost an ally in the statehouse.
Libby, a mother of five and a grandmother, said she’s heard from a “number of young women” in the state who have dealt with this in different ways whether they’ve been injured on the field of play or have lost a competition against a biological male.
“They’re afraid to speak up. They’re afraid to make their voices heard. They need to see us being the example,” Libby said. “I encourage other state legislators to make a stand for these young ladies and help ensure that in the future they have a safe, fair and level playing field.”
