LINCOLN, Neb. – A bill targeting Nebraska’s transgender youth narrowly failed to overcome a filibuster this afternoon, coming two votes short of what its supporters needed. With just four days left in this year’s legislative session, LB 575 has no clear path to becoming law.
If passed into law, the so-called Sports and Spaces Act would ban trans students from playing school sports and accessing locker rooms and restrooms consistent with their gender identity. Currently, a Nebraska School Activities Association (NSAA) policy guides sports eligibility decisions concerning trans students on a school-by-school and student-by-student basis.
According to an American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) national bill tracker, LB 575 is one of nearly 500 bills seeking to restrict LBGTQ+ rights that were introduced or pending in statehouses across the country this year. Dozens of those bills are school sports bans.
ACLU of Nebraska Legal Fellow Grant Friedman made this statement on today’s vote:
“Enough state senators made the right call today by choosing to reject this ban and getting back to the issues that Nebraskans actually want them working on,” Friedman said. “The bottom line is that all Nebraska students should be safe, supported and included in school activities. I sincerely hope today’s vote signals that lawmakers are ready to walk away from this type of legislation and stop singling out kids who just want to be treated the same as their peers. But of course, we are not taking that for granted. We will always be ready to take whatever steps are needed to protect Nebraska’s trans youth.”
