Nebraska lawmakers voted to advance a bill that would ban transgender students from participating on school sports teams that align with their gender identity. The decision trims back the original proposal, which had also included restrictions on bathroom and locker room usage in schools and government buildings based on sex assigned at birth.
The vote followed partisan lines, with Republican senators supporting the measure as a way to protect women’s sports, while Democrats and Independent lawmakers criticized the bill as discriminatory and harmful to transgender youth.
Introduced by State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha on behalf of Governor Jim Pillen, Legislative Bill 89 (LB 89) moved forward after a key amendment was adopted to secure support from Sen. Merv Riepe of Ralston. Riepe opposed the original version’s bathroom restrictions, joking, “I didn’t run for office to become part of the Nebraska state potty patrol.”
Democratic lawmakers spoke out passionately against the bill. Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln called the legislation a “cynical, manufactured strategy to divide us,” while Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha said the youth affected by the bill simply want to “play with their friends without it being politicized.” Riepe echoed similar sentiments, saying students are more concerned about safety issues like school shootings than who uses which restroom.
The bill states that biological differences between males and females justify separating school sports by sex assigned at birth. It makes no reference to transgender or gender-nonconforming individuals but claims testosterone gives male athletes a physical advantage that could compromise fairness in female athletics.
Supporters, including Sens. Jared Storm of David City and Tanya Storer of Whitman, framed the bill as a defense of women’s rights and athletic fairness. Kauth repeatedly referred to transgender girls as boys and claimed allowing them to compete in girls’ sports infringes on others’ rights.
Critics outside the chamber, including Abbi Swatsworth of LGBTQ advocacy group Out Nebraska, disputed the bill’s framing. During the debate, Swatsworth stood behind stacks of public comments—543 in favor of the bill, and a significantly larger pile of 1,910 opposed. At the bill’s February public hearing, opponents similarly outnumbered supporters.
Jill Brown, a parent of a transgender child, watched the debate from the gallery and said remarks by Sen. Conrad about love and inclusion in the face of hate were vital. “Politics can feel inhuman,” she said. “But words like that matter.”
Other parents of transgender children, including Lori and William, shared their frustration at being dismissed by politicians. They even paid to attend a fundraising dinner to sit with Governor Pillen in hopes of opening a dialogue, but left disappointed by what they saw as a lack of understanding from the governor.
The bill still requires one more round of debate before it can be sent to the governor’s desk. Advocates vowed to continue pressing lawmakers to reconsider, urging supporters to reach out and share personal stories in hopes of swaying remaining votes.
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