AUGUSTA — The Maine House of Representatives voted Tuesday night to censure a Republican lawmaker who posted photos on social media of a student as part of her criticism last week of Maine’s policy allowing transgender athletes to participate in girls’ sports.

The resolution, which passed 75-70 in a party line vote, censures Rep. Laurel Libby, R-Auburn, for her post on Facebook in which she identified a transgender student as having won a girls’ track championship. Libby included photos and referred to the student by first name but did not use a last name.

Rep. Laurel Libby, R-Auburn at the Maine State House in Augusta in April 2024. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Democrats, who brought forward the resolution, argued that it was inappropriate for a lawmaker to use photos of a minor in a political post without their consent and raised concerns that the post targeted the student for harassment.

Several Republicans defended Libby’s actions as free speech and said they worried about the precedent it would set to censure a lawmaker for a social media post, though some said they did have concerns about the impact it had on the student.

The censure means that Libby won’t be able to speak or vote on the House floor unless she apologizes, something Libby said Tuesday she has no intention of doing.

“I will not apologize for speaking up for Maine girls who are having their voices silenced,” Libby told reporters after the vote.

During a contentious debate on the House floor, Libby defended her post, saying the state championship was a public event and that photos were already posted elsewhere online.

“The reason that folks are upset about this post is that it exposed the truth and now people are mad that after being told this isn’t happening and doesn’t matter, there are boys participating in girls’ sports,” she said.

House Speaker Ryan Fecteau, D-Biddeford, issued a written statement after the vote, saying that sharing images of children 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,” Fecteau said. “That time and place will never be a social media post attacking a Maine student. Maine kids, and all Maine people, deserve better.”

Fecteau spoke with Libby last week and asked her to remove the post, saying at the time that children should not be used to “score political points” and should not have to worry about politicians posting their photos online without their consent. Libby has not removed the post.

When asked Tuesday if she stands by the decision, she said, “I stand by my decision to speak up for Maine girls who are having their voices silenced and who are being canceled in Maine by biological males participating in girls sports.”

Since last week, the post, which has been shared 18,000 times and garnered more than 60,000 comments, has been at the center of a debate that has drawn national attention to Maine’s policy of allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls’ sports.

President Donald Trump has threatened to withhold federal funding from Maine over the state’s policy, which goes against an executive order from Trump to ban transgender athletes from girls’ sports, and the administration has since launched investigations into the Maine Department of Education, the Cumberland-North Yarmouth school district and the University of Maine.

Fecteau directed lawmakers on Tuesday to not get into a policy debate about transgender athletes, but rather to stick to the topic of whether Libby should be censured for posting photos of the student.

Rep. Christina Mitchell, D-Cumberland, whose district includes the school the student attends, said she was appalled by Libby’s post and ashamed that the student has now faced threats and ridicule from adults.

“I am disappointed that when given the chance to reverse course and take down the social media post in question, the representative instead chose to double down,” Mitchell said. “I believe, and many of my constituents have told me they believe, it is morally and ethically wrong to use children for one’s own political gain.”

Rep. William Bridgeo, D-Augusta, acknowledged that the issue of transgender students in sports is complex and said there are legitimate policy questions. “But I draw the line at making innocent minors the object of the debate,” Bridgeo said. “No child designed these rules and no child deserves to be targeted by any adults who are upset about them.”

House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham, R-Winter Harbor, raised concerns about the Legislature regulating lawmakers’ social media posts and said it could set a concerning precedent making it too easy for members of the minority party to be targeted.

“This censure motion makes a mockery of the censure process,” Faulkingham said.

Some Republicans also argued that Libby’s post was not intended to harm the student, but only to raise awareness of the issue. “She’s actually practicing freedom of speech and standing up for girls in Maine,” said Rep. Jennifer Poirier, R-Skowhegan.

Others, though they voted to not censure Libby, still expressed concerns about the post.

“I have grave concerns about regulating members’ speech online and where the line is and so I’ll be voting no on the censure,” said Rep. David Boyer, R-Poland. “But I did want to put it on the record that what she did was gross.”

Rep. Ken Fredette, R-Newport, said that children should not be thrust into public political debates. “No, we should not be using photos, images, statements of somebody else’s children to make a point,” Fredette said.

Fredette, however, questioned whether Libby should be disciplined for the post. “That’s a much more difficult question for me to answer in the world of Facebook and Twitter,” he said.