Defend Trans Youth in Nebraska

No young person should have to face the level of harmful attacks that are targeting trans youth right now.

In Nebraska, we face two bans specifically focused on trans youth:

  1. LB 574 would ban medical professionals from providing certain gender-affirming care for Nebraskans under 19 years old. This bill has advanced past its first two rounds of debate.
  2. LB 575 would ban trans youth from participating in school sports consistent with their gender identity. This bill remains in committee.

State Sen. Kathleen Kauth, who introduced both bills, prioritized the care ban. Sen. Clements prioritized the sports and spaces ban.

Now is the time to show Nebraska's trans young people that anti-trans politicians are not the only voices speaking out right now — that there are far more people out there who support them for who they are, who want them to grow up and thrive, and who will not stop fighting for them.

Send a message to your state senator.

Sign up for OutNebraska updates on the bill.

Know Your rights. 

About the Bills

LB 574: The Care Ban

Families, along with their trusted medical professionals, should decide what medical care and counseling is needed. Politicians shouldn't come into the equation.

A doctor speaks with a patient.

Like all health care, health care for trans youth is based on the needs of each particular person. Decisions about medical and mental health care for trans youth should be made by doctors and families based on established medical best practices that are rooted in science. LB 574 would intrude on those decisions, jeopardizing adolescents’ health and well-being by denying them access to a range of gender-affirming care before they are 19.

This isn't just government overreach — it's unconstitutional. It violates families’ constitutional right to access health care free from discrimination.

Major medical organizations, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, oppose trans youth medical bans and say that this care is both medically necessary and life saving. Research shows that denying care to trans youth can contribute to depression, eating disorders, self-harm and suicide attempts.

The result of legislation like this isn't fewer kids growing up trans, it's fewer trans kids growing up. That's why we and others circulated crisis counseling resources from the Trevor Project ahead of the hearing.

SELECT FILE VOTE

State senators who filibustered and voted against LB 574: 

  • Blood
  • Bostar 
  • J. Cavanaugh 
  • M. Cavanaugh 
  • Conrad
  • Day
  • DeBoer 
  • Dungan 
  • Fredrickson 
  • Hunt 
  • McKinney 
  • Raybould
  • Vargas 
  • Walz
  • Wayne
  • Wishart 

State senators who voted to end the filibuster and voted in support of LB 574: 

  • Aguilar 
  • Albrecht
  • Arch 
  • Armendariz
  • Ballard
  • Bostelman
  • Brandt
  • Brewer
  • Briese
  • Clements
  • DeKay 
  • Dorn
  • Dover
  • Erdman
  • Geist
  • Halloran 
  • Hansen 
  • Hardin 
  • Holdcroft
  • Hughes
  • Ibach
  • Jacobson 
  • Kauth 
  • Linehan 
  • Lippincott
  • Lowe
  • McDonnell
  • Moser
  • Murman 
  • Riepe 
  • Sanders
  • Slama
  • Von Gillern
PBS: Debunking common myths about gender-affirming care

LB 575: The Sports and Spaces Ban

Trans youth deserve to grow up as exactly who they are, playing the sports they love.

Kids play soccer

LB 575 would override Nebraska State Activities Association (NSAA) policy, banning trans youth from playing school sports consistent with their gender identity. It would also deny them access to facilities like restrooms and locker rooms.

Take it from Nebraska trans athletes, trans students participate in sports for the same reasons other young people do: to challenge themselves, improve fitness, and be part of a team. Excluding trans students deprives them of those opportunities and sends the message that they don't belong. It also denies them the many proven benefits of participating in sports, including better grades, greater homework completion, higher educational and occupational aspirations, and improved self-esteem.

The facility sections of the bill are a further effort to make life harder for trans youth and push them out of public life. All students should be able to learn in a welcoming and safe environment, including transgender students, who are especially vulnerable to harassment and discrimination.

Ultimately, just like the care ban, this bill is about trying to deny trans youth the ability to be who they are.

ACLU: Four Myths About Trans Athletes Debunked