An event featuring Rep. Laurel Libby, R-Auburn, will still be held at the Orion Performing Arts Center at Mt. Ararat Middle School in Topsham later this month, despite complaints from some locals about the event’s political nature.

Maine School Administrative District 75 Superintendent Heidi O’Leary and school board Chair Amy Spelke said in a letter to parents Monday that groups and individuals unaffiliated with the district often rent the facility, which does not constitute an endorsement by the district.

The event in question, “Justice and Jazz: Standing strong for girls’ sports and free speech” is scheduled for 6 p.m. on July 15. It features Libby, a state lawmaker who stirred controversy over her public opposition to transgender athletes’ participation in girls’ sports. Her Facebook post, including a picture of a transgender athlete on the podium, led to her censure in the Maine Legislature and the intervention of the U.S. Supreme Court. The Cumberland County Republican Committee is hosting the event.

The district’s letter came in response to concerns raised about the event, O’Leary and Spelke wrote. It points to a district policy, which states “the district will not deny access (to OPAC) to any organization because of the religious or political nature of the organization.”

“While we understand that certain events may generate strong opinions or disagreement within the community, our policy ensures that our public facilities are accessible to a wide range of groups, provided their activities comply with all other district policies and legal requirements,” the letter states.

“We are legally bound to uphold this aspect of our policy, which prevents us from denying access based on the political or religious nature of an organization. Our role, as defined by this policy, is not to act as arbiters of the content or beliefs expressed by independent groups utilizing the OPAC, but rather to manage the facility in a fair and consistent manner in accordance with our established guidelines. Contrary to some suggestions the district is neither sponsoring nor hosting this event.”

Posts about the event on social media have drawn both outrage and support, with some Facebook and Reddit commenters questioning the use of the facility for political purposes and others saying they plan on protesting at the event.

Mt. Ararat alumni Nicholas Owen, of Bath, said he was “disgusted” by the event being held on school grounds due to its potential impact on transgender students, and plans to protest outside the venue.

“The fact that [Libby] continues to host such events while not acknowledging her effect on [trans] children shows that her intentions are purely political and self-serving,” Owen wrote in an email to The Times Record. “She’s trying to turn her 30 seconds of fame into a few years of it, all at the expense of a group of kids who are already persecuted by many of their peers and adults for the sole crime of being different.”

Owen pointed out that the Cumberland C0unty Republican Committee event will take place in Topsham, which is in Sagadahoc County, and features a lawmaker from a distant congressional district.

“While OPAC may technically be an individual entity, it is effectively inside of [Mt. Ararat Middle School] and its existence is inextricable from the school,” Owen said. “It would be disappointing at all to see this event held in Topsham, but to be held at one of the schools itself is extra distasteful, especially considering part of the SAD75 mission statement includes helping all students to reach their individual potential, which Rep. Libby’s position is explicitly at odds with.”

Cumberland County Republican Committee Chair Chuck Ellis said in a statement Thursday that “public spaces like OPAC should promote open discourse, not suppress voices over differing views.”

“Those complaining are not complaining because it’s a political event. I am sure like in my town of Westbrook they would have been happy to host Chellie Pingree’s town hall. They’re complaining because of the nature of the politics. The core issue here across the board is free speech and the fact that many want to silence those they disagree with,” Ellis said. “The event will address critical issues: protecting girls’ sports and spaces, and House Speaker Ryan Fecteau’s unconstitutional disenfranchisement of voters in Representative Libby’s Androscoggin County district. These set precedents that could affect all of Maine, threatening our democratic republic. OPAC was chosen for its quality and its location as these topics resonate statewide.”

Dylan Campbell, of Bangor, sent an email to the school district on Sunday after seeing the event on Facebook. Campbell argued the event violates SAD 75’s policies that protect against discrimination as well as Title IX and “[creates] a hostile educational environment for LGBTQ+ students and their allies.”

Campbell pointed to district policies that prohibit discrimination, adding that such an event would constitute discrimination against transgender students. In an email to The Times Record, Campbell said the event also violates an OPAC policy that prohibits activities “contrary to the District’s interests or the educational welfare of students” at the venue.

“Framing community concern as simply ‘strong opinions or disagreement’ minimizes the serious harm this event poses to LGBTQ+ students — especially trans youth, who are already at higher risk for harassment, mental health crises, and school-based discrimination,” Campbell said, noting that such an event puts the school district in a difficult position. “By normalizing this event as just another example of civic disagreement, the District risks creating an environment where targeted, identity-based hate can be disguised as ‘political speech,’ and where student safety and dignity become negotiable collateral.”

Owen agreed that the district’s response was not sufficient, calling the letter “weak” and “political.”

Libby was censured by the House for months after she posted a photo of a transgender high school athlete on social media in February. The post went viral, drawing local and national support for the athlete while catching the attention of the Trump administration, which has demanded that trans athletes be banned from girls’ and women’s sports.

The U.S. Supreme Court restored Libby’s right to vote in the House in May after a lawsuit, and House members voted to restore her ability to speak in floor debates last week.