George Orwell's classic "1984" plumbed the depths of absurd statism, but I'm not sure even he could have come up with this one.
Democrats in Maine have not only censured a Republican representative for speaking the truth about biological reality regarding transgenderism and sports, but left-wing House Speaker Ryan Fecteau has now barred her from voting and speaking. At the center of the controversy is a Facebook post that Republican House Rep. Laurel Libby made. In it, she posted a picture of a "transgender girl" (a biological male) who recently won the Maine state championship in pole-vaulting. For context, he had competed as a boy (which he is) just one year prior.
For that grave sin, Libby was stripped of her voting rights in the Maine House and banned from speaking on the record.
ALSO SEE: Maine Referred to the DOJ for Refusing to Protect Women's Sports
Maine Speaker of the House Ryan Fecteau had no problem with state representatives’ social media posts... until it went against his political agenda.
— Alleigh Marré (@alleighmarre) April 29, 2025
Luckily, the vast majority of Mainers agree with Rep. @laurel_libby — males don’t belong in girls’ sports. pic.twitter.com/DbSfKV3DyS
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. pic.twitter.com/BEohKgujVI
— Eric W. (@EWess92) April 30, 2025
I'm dumbfounded that Democrats continue to go down this road. Here, you have a case where a boy changed from the boys' to the girls' league, claiming to be transgender, and immediately won a state championship. There is no clearer evidence that biological differences exist that harm real girls. Yet, for criticizing the destruction of girls' sports, every voter in Libby's district has now lost their right to representation.
Is this even legal? That's a question the Supreme Court is being asked to deal with immediately. Libby has filed an emergency appeal, asking the nation's highest court to step in.
Republican Maine state lawmaker Laurel Libby is asking the US Supreme Court to ensure her votes are counted in the next legislative session of the Maine House after she was censured for expressing opposition to transgender athletes competing in girls sports, according to a copy of the emergency application obtained by CNN.
Libby’s attorneys filed to the high court on Monday seeking emergency relief after the lawmaker was censured in March by the Democratic-controlled statehouse for posting on X about transgender girls competing in girls’ sports in the state.
Unfortunately, the lower courts, including the First Circuit Court of Appeals, have already rejected her request. Notably, every single active judge on that appeals court was appointed by a Democrat, with four of them being Joe Biden appointees. So it's no surprise they'd go along with this banana republic nonsense, and to be sure, that's exactly what this is. At no point in Maine's 205-year history as a state has a lawmaker been deprived of their voting rights as punishment for censure. Third-world dictatorships would blush at what Democrats did here, and it's shocking and disgusting.
Libby should stand her ground. These are the cultural tipping points that must be fought over. They are that important. No one should ever be forced to lie about transgenderism and the existence of biological reality, and if Democrats want to play this game, then Republicans should seriously consider taking similar steps in red states.
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