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Maine lawmaker reacts as trans athlete sits out state championship

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Maine state Rep. Laurel Libby became a national figure in the movement to keep trans athletes out of girls’ sports in February when she called out a trans athlete for Greely High School who won a girls’ pole vault competition. 

The post resulted in Libby being censured, which she fought all the way up to the Supreme Court to overturn. She was granted her voting rights back by the Supreme Court on May 15. 

On Tuesday, the trans athlete that Libby’s post called out did not show up to compete in the Maine Class A track and field state championships, per multiple witnesses.

Libby reacted to the news in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

“Yesterday a biological male who won the girls’ State Championship in February chose not to participate in the girls’ pole vault at Maine’s Class B Outdoor Track State Championship, and a girl rightfully won the State Championship,” Libby said.

“Our girls’ opportunities and podium placements should be decided by their hard work and performance, not the whims of others. All Maine girls should have the guarantee of a fair, safe and level playing field, which is not the case as long as our laws allow biological males to participate in girls’ sports.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to Greely High School for comment. 

Female athletes took all the major medals in Maine’s girls’ track and field finals events Tuesday, after the competition was delayed from Saturday due to weather. 

It marked the end of a contentious track and field season for the state, as the Greely High School trans athlete and another one representing North Yarmouth Academy competed against the backdrop of political conflict. 

Maine’s current laws have resulted in girls across the state expressing outrage, as at least two trans athletes have won competitions in track and field, cross-country and Nordic skiing in recent years. 

Presque Isle student Hailey Himes previously told Fox News Digital that she was at the February state meet that Libby posted about where the Greely High School trans athlete won first place in girls’ pole vault.

“I watched this male pole vaulter stand on the podium and we were all just like looking we were like ‘We’re pretty sure that’s not a girl. There’s no way that’s a girl,'” Himes said. “It was really discouraging, especially for the girls on the podium not in first place. So that motivated me to fight for them.” 

MAINE TEENS BATTLING STATE DEMOCRATS ON GIRLS’ SPORTS BILL AFTER ENDURING TRANS ATHLETE CHAOS IN HIGH SCHOOL

Himes, along with her track and field teammates Cassidy Carlisle, Lucy Cheney and Carrlyn Buck, marched on the state capital of Augusta in early May to meet with GOP leaders on the issue and lobby the state legislature to pass bills banning biological males from girls’ sports.

Buck added, “It’s not just about the points, it’s also that our teammates are going to feel discouraged when placed in an event against them because they’re going in already knowing that the outcome is decided, with playing against a biological male who is biologically stronger than them, so they have no chance.” 

As Libby fights a legal battle that included Supreme Court intervention to have her censure overturned, the state’s Democratic leadership is fighting a battle against President Donald Trump’s administration over the broader issue of trans athlete inclusion in girls’ sports. 

The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against the state in response to Gov. Janet Milles openly defying Trump’s “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order. 

A federal judge on Tuesday set a trial date of April 1, 2026, for that lawsuit. 

Trump’s administration has said the Maine Department of Education is violating the federal Title IX anti-discrimination law by allowing transgender girls to participate on girls’ teams.

Meanwhile, Maine’s leaders have refused to agree to a written amendment to keep biological males out of girls’ sports, citing the Maine Human Rights Act’s protections to gender identity. 

A survey by the American Parents Coalition found that out of about 600 registered Maine voters, 63% said school sports participation should be based on biological sex, and 66% agreed it is “only fair to restrict women’s sports to biological women.”

The poll also found that 60% of residents would support a ballot measure limiting participation in women’s and girls’ sports to biological females. This included 64% of independents and 66% of parents with kids under age 18.

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