I was pleased to see your report that Rep. Laurel Libby was censured by the Maine Legislature for using a social media post of a child she alleged to be transgender to score political points. Rep. Libby appears to enjoy being in the thick of controversies that appeal to the extreme right, like vaccination or masking mandates during early COVID-19, and it’s working. The vote by her colleagues found most all the other Republicans supporting her. I find this astonishing.

Rep. Libby apparently has five children and her colleagues who supported her action have scores more. How would they feel about an elected official making a claim about their child’s gender on social media? It would most likely be an unsubstantiated claim because how the heck would they know this about someone else’s child? I sincerely hope Rep. Libby did not source her information from her work as a nurse, as that would be even more unethical.

It’s ironic that, just this week, Gov. Janet Mills achieved national fame by letting the president know that Maine would follow federal and state laws about trans athletes in school sports, and is prepared to go to court to enforce the rule of law in this matter. And, she did so without violating the privacy of any minors.

Lisa Savage
Solon