Nebraska athletes express their support for a bill aimed at limiting transgender athletes

LINCOLN, Neb. (WOWT) – Friday, Senator Kathleen Kauth introduced Legislative Bill 89, or Stand with Women Act.

Sen. Kauth was joined by Governor Jim Pillen and advocates for the bill which aims to impact all schools, colleges, and state agencies.

Its expands portions of the Women’s Bill of Rights passed by Gov. Pillen through Executive Order in 2023.

If passed, LB 89 would create a definition of the male and female genders. It would also require people to use the bathroom and locker rooms according to that definition.

“Honestly, my heart just mostly breaks for the trans community because I believe a lot of them resorted to that community was because people weren’t listening when they were crying,” said Nebraska volleyball player Rebekah Allick.

“People weren’t listening when they were asking for help and they were confused. The questions is not what God condemns us for but is when we make those active decisions to defy him.”

The bill would also create restrictions for participation in sports. Prohibiting trans men and women from playing sports alongside the gender they identify with.

LB 89 would also require sports teams to adhere to its definition of what a male and female are when adding athletes to their rosters.

“We see those opposed to allowing men into women sports locker rooms, restrooms, and prisons, we see the people opposed to it as the problem. So, my question is just in how this short amount of time, how have we gotten to this extreme?” said Nebraska softball player Jordyn Bahl.

“I believe that a big part of the answer to that is just extremism across the board. There’s been extreme demand but there is also been extreme consequences for saying no to insanity that has been pushed upon us.”

ACLU of Nebraska Policy Director Scout Richters says the bill is a further escalation from the Sports and Spaces Act which failed last year.

“It will impact trans Nebraskans, if enacted it will impact them at any touch point they have with a government agency or in using identification that doesn’t correspond with their gender identity,” said Richters. “So, each of those things are harmful and damaging and again invites harassment and violence and attempts to erase those identities.”

She says every Nebraskan deserves to be themselves and bills like that undermine it. Richters worries it could lead to further attacks and discrimination against the trans community.

”As a woman it is very upsetting to have your identity as a women used to discriminate against a group of Nebraskans,” said Richters. “There are many other efforts and bills that could be enacted to improve the lives of women. So, to deem this bill what they’ve called it is very insulting and upsetting.”

Richters plans to continue educating voters as the bill continues to evolves.

Sen. Kauth says she doesn’t have the 33 votes she needs right now but believes she can get them.

LGBTQ+ advocacy group OutNebraska issued a statement about the proposed bill.

“LB89 goes way beyond the defeated Sports and Spaces Ban and escalates the potential dangers to our community,” said Abbi Swatsworth, executive director of OutNebraska. “The best approach to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all, both transgender and non-transgender people alike, is not LB89.”

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