AUGUSTA — Maine House Speaker Ryan Fecteau is urging Mainers to “reject hateful rhetoric from divisive politicians” in response to a social media post from a fellow House member.
Rep. Laurel Libby (R-Auburn) posted two photos on Facebook this week that she says shows a Greely High School teenager who competed in a pole vault competition as a boy one year and as a girl the next.
“This is outrageous and unfair to the many female athletes who work every day to succeed in their respective sports,” Libby wrote. “I will continue to vigorously oppose all efforts to allow male athletes to compete in female athletic competitions and to demand that President Trump’s Executive Order be enforced in Maine to ensure fairness for all female athletes.”
On Feb. 5, President Donald Trump signed an executive order saying he will pull funds from educational programs that “deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities” and more generally, stating that the policy of the U.S. is to “oppose male competitive participation in women’s sports.”
In response to Libby’s post, Fecteau, a Biddeford Democrat, said most leaders in the state Legislature support LGBTQ+ Mainers.
“Politicians have long abided by the standard of not using children to score political points,” he said in a statement. “All kids, including transgender students, deserve better than to be used as political fodder for internet bullies.”
The issue will come up at the State House in the coming weeks as lawmakers consider LD 233, which proposes to prohibit K-12 schools and colleges that receive state funds from allowing “a person whose biological sex assigned at birth is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designated for females.”
Libby provided additional information about her stance on Thursday after appearing on Fox News and Newsmax, which repeatedly posted the student’s image on the screen.
Via text, she said her concern is that the Maine Principals' Association is jeopardizing federal funding by not follwoing Trump's executive order and that she wants to stand up for female athletes.
"The fact is, male athletes competing against female athletes erases women and the significant accomplishments they have achieved in sports," she wrote.
On Facebook, the post generated more than 1,700 responses which ranged from support for Libby’s position on the issue to those who took her on for singling out a teenager.
“I believe YOUR voice is going to move mountains!” one woman posted. “Keep up the good fight and faith!!!”
On the other side: “Take down the post with the CHILD’S photo, name and location! The only thing outrageous here is your lack of empathy.”
In Fecteau’s statement, he spoke directly to transgender students.
“I see you and I stand with you,” he said. “You deserve to be your true self at home, at school and when participating in sports. It’s been said time and time again: love always wins. Once again, we will reject hateful rhetoric from divisive politicians; instead, we will embrace love and the best of who we are.”
