Bill Banning K-12 Transgender Students From Sports Fails to Advance

LINCOLN—(KFOR Apr. 5)—A bill aimed at transgender youth from accessing preferred bathrooms; require gender-specific sports in schools; and compel trans student-athletes to compete according to their birth-assigned sex failed to advance Friday afternoon in the Nebraska Legislature.

The bill may be done for the year, with just three days remaining in the 60-day session.

Speaker John Arch of La Vista addressed senators at the beginning of the day, laying out reasons why the tight timeline left on the session meant lawmakers wouldn’t be able to attach bills that hadn’t advanced to priority bills, reserving amendments for process-related actions.

Omaha Senator Kathleen Kauth, who is the sponsor of LB 575, said that her opinions do reflect those of her constituents as well.

“They do not feel comfortable being compelled to address a man as a woman,” she said.

State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha vowed to filibuster the bill.

“I wanted this session to go better than last year. I refuse, categorically, across the board, no question about it, to let this happen without a cost. And that cost is time,” said Cavanaugh. “Get ready to hear my recipes, my movie synopsis, and on and on, until 575 is dead. That’s what we’re going to be doing.”

LB575 advanced out of the Education Committee on Thursday on a 5-2 vote. with an amendment in place, AM2049, which prohibits girls on cross-sex hormones from competing against other girls.

• “There’s nobody that wants their daughter to be in a locker room with a boy and there’s nobody that wants their son to be in a locker room with girls. It’s just not right, not the way we see it in Nebraska,” he said.