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Radio Address


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To stand up for women's rights, House Republican Women held a press conference earlier this week.

 

*This week's Republican address features remarks from Assistant House Republican Leader Katrina Smith (R-Palermo) and Representative Laurel Libby (R-Auburn). *

 

*Assistant House Republican Leader Katrina Smith:*

 

“I can hardly believe honestly that I'm standing here today with my colleagues at the start of Women's History Month having to defend the rights of girls and women in Maine from being erased, their unique contributions to the world overlooked and dismissed. 

Just over 100 years ago, women suffragists stood proudly in white, fighting for the right to vote and be heard in society. I really once thought white was just a political game, but now as the Republican Women of the House of Representatives stand united in white, it's far from trivial. It's a resolute, urgent stand against what is happening in our state. 

In Maine, young women are watching their trophies slip into the hands of young men while being told their dedication does not deserve praise. 

Girls are pitted against competitors in lopsided matches where basic biology stacks the odds against them, guaranteeing defeat and exposing them to real dangers, broken bones and smashed noses, all due to obvious differences in physical strength. 

This relentless ordeal inflicts not only physical abuse on our girls, but also mental abuse, eroding their confidence and their sense of worth. 

It's time we call it what it is, abuse, plain and simple. 

Then again, on the eve of Women's History Month, Speaker Fecteau towered ominously over Representative Levy from his podium like a judge, demanding a female legislator apologize for defending safe spaces for women. 

What was her crime? 

Defending Title IX, the cornerstone of modern women's rights, because he disagreed with President Trump in his bold move to protect girls. Her choice was either to bend the knee to insanity or lose her voice in her vote. Truly, it was a devil's bargain for Representative Libby. 

It's 2025 and women who oppose the majority sense they are the next targets as those in power silence any woman bold enough to challenge the policies they cherish. 

The proof lies in their approach. Object and you'll be muted without a hearing. These are the very tactics they decry in every totalitarian regime, labeling them a danger to democracy. 

Ironically, today, the Judiciary Committee is set to review a resolution proposing an amendment to Maine's Constitution aiming to guarantee equal rights for all residents under the law. 

These rights hinge on this list of traits, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, physical or mental disability, ancestry or national origin. 

But we ask, why not simply strike sex from the list altogether when apparently it means nothing in terms of protecting voices? 

Democrats have already shown they'll sidestep protecting females in their policies regardless. 

We are a determined and unyielding group and our voices echoing those of women from the past will not be quieted as we defend girls' rights to feel safe, compete fairly, claim the honors they've earned and speak freely. 

Our resolve to uphold the President's executive order is ironclad. 

This Women's History Month, we stand proudly with Maine girls, unwavering in our fight alongside them in the battles that lie ahead. 

We will protect Maine girls. I want to ask Representative Libby to speak.” 

 

*Representative Laurel Libby:*

 

“Thank you, Representative Smith. 

The irony of this month being Women's History Month is not lost on me. 

Women have fought for centuries for the right to compete, to be seen and to be recognized for our tremendous accomplishments. 

We've shattered barriers, broken records, and we have earned our place in history. 

But now we are witnessing a new form of erasure, one where men, simply by declaring themselves women, are rewriting the history books and stripping our young women of their right to fair competition. 

This month, we celebrate Women's History Month as a time to honor trailblazers, pioneers and everyday women who fought and sacrificed to secure these rights and opportunities that we cherish today. 

Yet even as we celebrate, we find ourselves in a battle to preserve the very definition of what it means to be a woman and to preserve the rights for which these trailblazers fought. 

As we step into Women's History Month here in Maine, Augusta Democrats, men, are erasing and negating the accomplishments of women by censuring me and attempting to silence me for exercising my First Amendment right to free speech as I speak up for Maine girls and for a fair and level playing field in our state. 

I have news for Speaker Fecteau and Augusta Democrats, though. 

Since I first posted on social media about a young man winning a girls' pole vault competition, and particularly in the week since my censure, I have heard from a growing coalition of women from various perspectives who have all reached out with their support for women and girls. 

Hundreds of individuals from in and out of Maine thanking me for standing up for their girls. 

I've heard from so many Democrats from California that they have their own coalition now, leaving me voicemails, emailing, thanking me for speaking up for sanity. 

I've heard from lesbian couples both inside and outside of my district sending words of encouragement and to keep up the fight. 

I received a letter from a trans individual saying that biological males participating in girls' sports is not fair. 

All of the accomplishments of women over the years are being erased by men masquerading as women, erasing us from the history books. 

Women's rights, what does that term even mean? 

It loses all of its meaning in a world where anyone can declare themselves a woman regardless of facts. 

What is the point of striving for greatness if in one leap, a biological male can be celebrated for jumping eight feet past his female competitors? 

If a man can call himself a woman and make history, then we have no history. If anyone can be a woman, then the work that has been done for decades to advance women in society is being canceled. 

Here in Augusta, we are seeing the men in leadership canceling women. 

From Speaker Fecteau and the Democrat majority to the Maine Principals Association, insisting on a policy that endangers our girls and does not guarantee them a fair and level playing field. 

Maine women and girls deserve to have their voices heard and to have their rights defended. 

Today, we are declaring that we will not stand idly by and allow those rights to be stripped away in exchange for an empty, woke ideology that celebrates the mediocre over true womanhood. Thank you.”

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USDOE [ [link removed] ]

 

 

 

 

 

Schools should be focused on learning -

"End DEI" Portal Launched to Empower Parents

 

The U.S. Department of Education launched EndDEI.Ed.Gov [ [link removed] ], a public portal for parents, students, teachers, and the broader community to submit reports of discrimination based on race or sex in publicly-funded K-12 schools.

The secure portal allows parents to provide an email address, the name of the student’s school or school district, and details of the concerning practices. The Department of Education will use submissions as a guide to identify potential areas for investigation. 

“For years, legislative Republicans have stood with parents in calling for schools to focus on teaching their kids practical skills like reading, writing, and math, instead of pushing critical theory, rogue sex education and divisive ideologies," said House Republican Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham. "It has been like calling out in the wilderness. Now, with changes at the federal level, our shared message is finally breaking through. The end result can be more recognition that parents know what is best for their kids, and better results for our children. This federal website is another tool in the fight to end discriminatory practices." 



 



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