In a rally on Nov. 19 that began around 3:30 p.m., over 100 concerned community members participated in a protest that started in the Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Plaza and ended with a march toward the Donald P. Corbett (DPC) Business Hall to express outrage over a speaking event featuring Maine House Rep. Laurel Libby (R).
According to a now deleted Instagram post made by University of Maine Turning Point USA (TPUSA), Libby would be discussing “the importance of advocating for girls’ and women’s rights to safe sports and protected spaces.”
Groups that organized to protest Libby’s event include UMaine Orono Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), UMaine Jewish Voices for Peace (JVP) and UMaine Wilde Stein. Pictured are students Arthur Ortiz Sotomayor and Felix Howorth. Sotomayor held a sign that read ‘Say no to trans hate!’ and Howorth’s sign read ‘No Nazi’s welcome.’
Libby first gained traction for her controversial views on transgender athletes in February 2025, when the Maine House of Representatives voted 75–70 to censure her for posting photographs and the first name of a high-school transgender athlete who had placed first in a girls’ pole-vault championship on Facebook. The censure resolution declared her actions “reprehensible and in direct violation of our [the House] code of ethics.”
“It is a basic tenet of politics and good moral character that children should not be targeted by adult politicians, especially when that targeting could result in serious harm,” wrote House representatives in a joint resolution.
After she refused to apologize, Libby was barred from speaking or voting on the House floor until the next session. In May 2025, the Supreme Court temporarily restored her voting rights while her appeal proceeded. However, critics say that Libby’s post constituted doxxing of a minor, since it publicly identified the athlete and showed their image.
In a short interview that occurred before the group moved toward the DPC Business Hall, students Arya Olsen and Sophie Thieme explained why they chose to attend the rally and their concerns regarding Libby’s presence on campus. Thieme began by sharing their dissatisfaction over UMaine’s decision to host the event.
”I mean, we’re both trans. You know, the overall political climate right now isn’t great, but I think that this happening in this space where we’re supposed to feel comfortable and safe learning, and supported by our school, makes the event kind of feel like a slap in the face to have this be allowed and not opposed by the school itself,” said Thieme.
Olsen elaborated on the significance of Libby speaking and her potential connection to funding concerns, tied to national scrutiny UMaine has faced under the Trump administration regarding Title IX and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs.
“My biggest issue with it [the event] is how much of a figure Laurel Libby is within transphobia, and her participation in doxxing and these other things is essentially one of the reasons why Trump had put so much attention onto UMaine — which is part of the reason why we had major funding issues and issues with DEI,” said Olsen.
Olsen also shared why its impactful there was such a strong turnout at the protest from the UMaine community, referencing a similar speaking event and protest that occurred in March 2025, when right-leaning Tik Tok influencer Olivia Krolczyck delivered a speech regarding transgender women in sports.
“Originally, this trend started with the [UMaine] Turning Point USA chapter — something similar happened last year and we got hundreds of people to show up,” said Olsen. “It was so overwhelming that the person speaking [Krolczyck] couldn’t even speak, because there were hundreds of people chanting outside. So, I guess having all these people showing their support and being allies for queer folks on campus is a really important event that people chose to attend.”
In a speech made before the group moved toward the DPC Business Hall, Maine Sen. Mike Tipping affirmed transgender youths’ right to play on the team matching their chosen gender. He also specifically commented on how divisive language used by Libby and others on the right have contributed to an ideologically fractured society where the most vulnerable are made targets.
“Her [Libby’s] project is tearing people, tearing things apart. It’s setting us against each other. It’s targeting vulnerable children in order to raise money and gain power,” said Tipping.
Protestors slowly moved as a group from the MLK plaza to the DPC Business Hall. As the group gathered outside the hall, they were careful not to block entrances and walkways as per university regulations. However, there were several occasions throughout the night where officers on patrol asked individuals to push closer to the sides of walkways, despite general adherence to the rule. As protestors walked, many held their signs high in the air and several pride flags could be seen waving above the crowd.
Echoing similar chants shouted by the crowd, a protestor among those walking can be seen holding a sign that reads ‘F*ck you Laurel Libby.’ Many students made their signs at an event hosted by UMaine JVP prior to the protest, where those attending were given cardboard and painting supplies while brainstorming slogans to display. Others made theirs at home.
Protestors began reciting a number of chants, accompanied by a high-pitched clown air horn that elicited occasional laughter throughout the rally. UMaine SDS member Gabe Veilleux led the chants using a megaphone, which included statements like “Show me what democracy looks like, this is what democracy looks like” and “Loser Libby, we won’t go away.” Pictured is student Nathaniel Small, who can be seen wearing a pride flag as a cape in front of the large gathering of protestors.
With a sign reading ‘Nobody wants you here’ in the foreground, a small student section filled with protestors holding signs formed inside the Bumps conference room where Libby was speaking. Reporters, members of UMaine TPUSA, and others generally in favor of the event sat toward the left hand side of the room. The right side of the room was completely empty, as organizers only let in a group of thirty or so people who had pre-registered on a Google form posted by UMaine TPUSA’s Instagram story prior to the event.
Before the event began, police addressed the crowd and instructed attendees to hold all comments until the Q&A session following Libby’s speech, which centered on the first amendment and her argument that it protects her right to use what critics in the crowd deem transphobic language. One student that repeatedly interrupted Libby’s speech to poise questions challenging her stances was escorted out by police.
The student could be heard saying “You attack trans people and you work in healthcare. The Hippocratic Oath means you have to serve everyone, not just the people you think you want to serve” as she was escorted out the building.
As the event drew to a close, student protestors greeted those leaving the building with boos, and an occasional “shame on you” as members of UMaine TPUSA and other right-leaning campus political groups exited the hall. Once it was announced that Libby had already left the event through a back door around 5:30 p.m., community members dispersed and the uproar of chants that had filled the area for over an hour faded. Those interested in learning more about what Libby shared can read this interview where she sat down with the Maine Campus to discuss the event.
