Maine Rep. Laurel Libby filed a lawsuit against House Speaker Ryan Fecto after being criticised on Feb. 15 for a social media post about a trans high school athlete.
The lawsuit seeks to restore Libby's rights to vote and speak. Maine House Clerk Robert Hunt has been appointed as another defendant in the suit. Libby was originally told that if she apologises for the Post, she would restore her rights. But she says she won't apologize.
Libby's accusations came in response to a social media post pointing to a high school trans athlete who won the girls' pole vault competition. The post sparked a nationwide controversy and spat between Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills and President Donald Trump, urging federal agencies to launch a Title IX investigation into states and school districts where athletes are registered.
A massive protest against Mills that continued in Maine's Augusta capital.
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Maine Assemblyman Laurel Libby filed a lawsuit against her state House Speaker after being criticised on Feb. 15. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukati/File)
The basis for the blame by Fecteau and the Maine Democrats was Libby's post identifying minors by photographs and names. However, Libby and her lawyers argue that the athletes were already publicly made public from a positive perspective and were competing in public forums of state-sponsored athletic events.
“The championship is a public event, streamed online, and the winner's names, schools and photos were all published,” a copy of the lawsuit obtained by Fox News Digital said.
Libby represents more than 9,000 components of Maine House District 90, six of whom have signed the lawsuit as plaintiffs.
“The actions of the speaker not only disenfranchised me, but also disenfranchised the thousands of members I represent, and that's the whole picture here. In his eyes, in his eyes, he retaliated against me because he didn't like what I had to say,” Libby said.
Libby recently proposed a bill to expand access to mental health resources for Maine residents. In the next few weeks, Maine will vote for the next six months budget, and Libby will not vote for it either.
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For Libby, the lawsuit is not merely intended to restore her rights to her and her members. She also says it is a critical step towards taking part in a national battle to combat trans-inclusion in women's sports.
“Maine has for some reason become ground zero for this debate. Of course I want to get my voice back so I can talk to it. And when I tackle this issue within Congress, I hope that everything that unfolds over the next few weeks will help change courses in the debate.
Libby also encouraged Fecteau to simply restore her rights to take the case to court and avoid sacrificing the price of potential cases to taxpayers in Maine.
Fox News Digital reached out to Fecteau's office for comment.
Meanwhile, Maine is investigating potential Title IX violations by the U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for refusing to comply with Trump's recent executive order to prevent trans-athletes from competing in girls and women's sports.
HHS provided notification of violation Maine On February 25th, the state declared that by allowing trans athletes to participate in women's sports, the state violated Title IX. The HHS later expanded the scope of the investigation, including the Main Principal Association and Greeley High School.
Trans-athlete Libby's revelation prompted national media coverage of state policies on trans-inclusion after Maine announced it would not comply with Trump's executive order. Trump has since vowed to cut funds to the state for refusing to follow his orders.
Mills' office responded with a statement threatening legal action against the Trump administration if it withholds federal funds from the state. Trump and Mills then spawned verbally in a widely publicized discussion at the White House during a bipartisan meeting of the governor.
Hours after that interaction, the US Department of Education announced it We will investigate the condition Because it allows trans athletes to compete in women's sports and there is a possibility of a violation of Title IX.
Police protection He was assigned to Greeley High School.
The controversy incited a protest against Mills, known as the “March against Mills” that took place outside the state capitol in Maine on Saturday morning. Several female athletes visited Mike on a march to oppose the Democratic governor.
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A day later, eight parent activists protested outside Libby's home, opposing her views. They had the signs that read, “Your shame to exploit your children 4 your political interests” and “Protect trans youth”, Main wire.
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