(NewsNation) — A state representative in Maine was censured by other members of the legislature after posting a picture of a trans teen girl on her public Facebook page.
The resolution passed 75-70 in a party-line vote, the Portland Press-Herald reported.
Per Maine House rules, Republican Rep. Laurel Libby will now not be allowed to vote or speak on the floor until she has “made satisfaction” — in this case, by apologizing to the legislative body and taking down the photo.
That’s not something she’s going to do, though, she told NewsNation’s Rich McHugh.
“I’m not going to apologize for speaking the truth,” Libby said in an interview. “I’m not going to apologize for speaking up for Maine girls who are being thrust aside by this extreme agenda.”
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Libby’s post has over 100,000 likes on Facebook and had been shared more than 61,000 times as of Wednesday morning.
It includes a picture of the teen at a track meet from February, where she won the girl’s pole vault competition. In the post, Libby wrote the girl’s first name, but not her last. The girl’s shirt has her school on it.
Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives Ryan Fecteau said on Facebook that sharing images of kids online without their consent “is a clear violation of the bond of trust and respect between citizens and their Legislators.”
“There is a time and place for policy debates. That time and place will never be a social media post attacking a Maine student. Maine kids, and all Maine people, deserve better,” Fecteau said. He quoted the Maine Legislative Code of Ethics, which states that lawmakers should “be ever mindful of the ordinary citizen who might otherwise be unrepresented and will endeavor conscientiously to pursue the highest standards of legislative conduct inside — and outside — of the State House.”
“It is a basic tenet of politics and good moral character that children should not be targeted by adult politicians, especially when that targeting could result in serious harm,” the resolution to censure Libby said.
One representative, Democrat Christina Mitchell, who is in the district the trans girl attends, said the student faced threats and ridicule from adults after Libby posted the photo, the Portland Press-Herald said. The censure resolution noted the girl’s school had increased security.
Even Republicans who voted against the censure said they disapproved of Libby’s actions.
“My colleague made an error in judgment by posting images of a minor to push a policy agenda. This was reprehensible,” GOP state Rep. David Boyer said.
Though Boyer agrees with Libby’s stance on trans athletes, he added that lawmakers “should be able to advocate policy without making kids political footballs.” Still, he voted not to censure her, citing concerns about regulating a lawmaker’s social media conduct.
Speaking before she was censured, Libby defended her post, saying the individual already had multiple photos on a number of websites.
To McHugh, she said the issue wasn’t about the post: it’s about the “continued silencing of Maine women and Maine girls.”
Maine allows trans athletes to compete
The Maine Principal’s Association previously said the state will allow trans athletes to compete, despite an executive order signed by President Donald Trump that bans their participation. State law prohibits discrimination based on gender identity.
Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills and Trump had a heated confrontation over the issue of trans rights at the White House during the National Governors Association’s winter summit.
A day later, the United States Department of Agriculture initiated a compliance review of the University of Maine.
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Mills responded by saying she will not bow to threats.
“If the president attempts to unilaterally deprive Maine school children of the benefit of federal funding, my administration and the attorney general will take all appropriate and necessary legal action to restore that funding and the academic opportunity it provides,” she said. “The state of Maine will not be intimidated by the president’s threats.”
This USDA investigation came a day after Mills and Trump had a heated confrontation over the issue of trans rights at the White House during the National Governors Association’s winter summit.
Meanwhile, Libby says Mills needs to stop pushing an “extreme agenda.”
“She is harming school children who will not have the funding that they need for their schools, and this is a fool’s errand that Mainers do not support,” Libby said.
