FFS Friday: Maine Rep. Laurel Libby

And Maine high school junior Julia Dietrich

February 28, 2025

FFS (Female Free Speech) Friday honors women and girls who are speaking out about the harms that “gender identity” poses to women and girls as a sex class. FFS Friday posts are free and shareable. If you would like access to content that delves deeper into the movement to protect the sex-based rights of women and girls and to stop the abolition of sex, please consider a paid subscription.

Today’s FFS Friday honors Maine Representative Laurel Libby, who has taken a firm stand in support of female-only sports. After the Maine House of Representatives, under the leadership of House Speaker Ryan D. Fecteau, voted to censor her, she refused to apologize for referring to a male athlete as male.

Photo: Lewiston Sun Journal

On February 18, Representative Libby posted a thread on X about a male athlete named John (who goes by Katie) who won the girl's pole-vaulting state championship in Maine. The state had allowed him to compete on the basis of his girl “gender identity.” Her thread included publicly available photos of him on the podium and bragging about his victory. Last year, he took fifth place in the boys’ competition.

This past Tuesday, the Maine House voted 75-70 to censure her. Under House Rule 401 Part 11, she is not currently permitted to speak on the House floor or vote, effectively eliminating her ability to represent her constituents on any issue.

This is the text of the pertinent rule:

• 11. Breach of rules. When any member is guilty of a breach of any of the rules and orders of the House and the House has determined that the member has violated a rule or order, that member may not be allowed to vote or speak, unless by way of excuse for the breach, until the member has made satisfaction.

The Speaker has stated that the censure will not be lifted until she apologizes. But Libby is not backing down.

A truly Orwellian exchange on Tuesday on the state House floor went as follows:

Fecteau: The Chair understands that the Member does not intend to submit an apology to the body.

Libby: That is correct.

Fecteau: The member will be in violation of House Rule 401, Part 11. The Member will not be able to cast a vote or speak on the floor until the Member has come back into compliance with House Rule 401, Part 11. The member may return to her seat.

The 30-second clip is well worth a watch. For fans of The Handmaid’s Tale television series, it’s difficult not to think of the scene in the season finale of Season 2, “The Word,” in which Serena addresses the men on the Council and is subsequently dismissed and punished.

Regarding the matter, radical feminist Jennifer Gingrich posted on X:

But again, Libby is not backing down.

Shortly before the vote, she posted on X:

The Maine Democrat Majority has just moved to censure me, for speaking out against their failure to protect Maine girls and keep biological males out of girls' sports.

Let me be clear: I will not be silenced and I will not allow the voices of Maine girls to be silenced.

The stated reason for the censure is that she posted images of a minor. But anyone with eyes and ears can tell that she’s being punished for the heresy of standing up for women and girls in her state. The images she posted were already publicly available, and it’s abundantly clear from the proceedings that the men in charge don’t think it’s acceptable for her to speak out on the topic of male athletes competing in girls’ sports.

After this post had been written and scheduled for posting, I came across an amazing speech by a high school junior in Maine named Julia Dietrich. Julia gave amazing testimony before a school board that concludes, “Let’s keep women’s sports for women.” During her testimony, she said “enough is enough.”

Women and girls will not be silenced about this. Try as much as you’d like, but we’re not going to shut up. Women’s sports are for women and girls’ sports are for girls.

Representative Libby and Julia, if you’re reading this, today’s FFS Friday is for you.