The bill that aimed to restrict transgender students from using school bathrooms, locker rooms, and participating in sports teams according to their gender identity failed to get enough votes to advance in Nebraska. This bill, known as Legislative Bill 575, would have required students to use facilities and teams based on the gender they were assigned at birth. An amended version of the bill would have gone even further by preventing students taking male hormones from participating in girls’ teams, effectively excluding transgender males from all sports competitions. Despite initial support from some senators, the bill failed to end a filibuster and did not advance.
The sudden re-emergence of the bill during the legislative session caused turmoil within the Nebraska Legislature. After being stalled for over a year, the bill was swiftly voted out of committee and scheduled for debate within a short period of time. With only four days left in the legislative session, the bill is now dead for the year. The debate over the bill became contentious, with some senators arguing that it was necessary to protect women’s sports by preventing transgender athletes from competing with their identified gender.
Opponents of the bill, including Sen. Megan Hunt, criticized it as dangerous and based on bigotry. Hunt, who identified as bisexual, argued that bills like LB575 only serve to sanction bullying and discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly queer youth. Despite the dominance of Republicans in Nebraska’s state government, the bill failed to gain enough support to pass. The push to limit the rights of LGBTQ+ Americans has been a common trend among conservative officials in recent years, with various states enacting laws restricting transgender individuals’ access to sports and public facilities.
The failure of the bill in Nebraska was unexpected, given the state’s Republican majority and recent conservative legislation limiting transgender rights. Nebraska’s previous bill, also sponsored by Sen. Kathleen Kauth, banned gender-affirming surgeries for minors and restricted access to hormones and medications for transgender youth. The combination of these laws with an anti-abortion measure sparked controversy and legal challenges. Despite some initial support from Republican senators, doubts were raised during the recent debate about the necessity of restricting transgender students’ access to bathrooms and sports.
Senators like Tom Brandt and Merv Riepe expressed skepticism about the bill’s objectives, with Riepe citing personal experiences that led him to believe that the bill was addressing a nonexistent problem. Brandt highlighted the fact that the state’s high school athletics association already had policies in place governing transgender student participation in sports. The failure of the bill reflects a shift in attitudes towards LGBTQ+ rights, even within conservative states like Nebraska, with some lawmakers recognizing the need to support and protect transgender individuals rather than restrict their rights.
