We all have the opportunity and responsibility to create safe and affirming spaces for all people, including students. When school environments have inclusive policies, young people thrive. LGBTQ youth who have at least one accepting adult were 40% less likely to report a suicide; and students with 11 or more supportive staff at their school were less likely to feel unsafe, less likely to miss school, had higher GPAs and felt greater belonging in their community.
Trans individuals belong in Nebraska—in our schools, on our sports teams and in our communities.
And yet, attacks on trans youth by policymakers continues, this time being framed as “protecting women and girls.” We know better and directly call out this harmful legislation for what it is—a discriminatory attempt to target an already marginalized group rather than promote equity and safety in schools and sports for all.
Sports bans are enforced by defining women through reductive definitions limited to chromosomes, hormones and reproductive anatomy. These laws open the door to intrusive physical examinations into the bodies of all athletes in women’s sports and do nothing to rectify the real inequities caused by sex discrimination in athletics.
LB 89 is an unnecessary and discriminatory bill that impacts all trans students in K-12 and postsecondary schools in Nebraska from participating in school-based athletics and certain spaces in schools and government buildings. These restrictions would subvert local control and restrict young people from building social skills, increasing self-esteem and enjoying their passions. Additionally, anti-LGBTQ policies and debate on issues related to who gets to belong in our communities increase rates of depression and suicide in already marginalized populations.
Trans-inclusive sports policies do not harm cisgender youth.
For years, sports have been a way to control bodies. At elite levels, “sex testing” has been used to target women, especially Black women, women of color and intersex individuals who do not meet norms of white femininity.
According to the Center for American Progress, “there is no evidence to support the claim that allowing transgender athletes to participate will reduce or harm participation in girls’ sports.” Further, they note that bills on the issue cloak transmisogyny in inflammatory language and scare tactics that distract from the policies’ discriminatory intent. Notably, many do not lay out restrictions for transgender boys and men, focusing solely on regulating women’s bodies.”
Excluding women and girls who are trans hurts all women and girls.
So, while women athletes continue to receive substandard treatment when it comes to facilities, funding and marketing, lawmakers are now attempting to co-opt “women’s rights” and “fair treatment” to further discriminate against trans, intersex and gender non-confirming Nebraskans—all while ignoring the proven ways to change systems, prevent gender-based violence and truly advance gender equity.
LB 89 goes even further to exclude all trans people from certain spaces and government buildings. It must be said clearly, transgender individuals are not a threat to safety in our communities. In actuality, sexual violence impacts the LGBTQ community at significantly high rates. LGBTQ youth are seven times more likely to experience sexual violence and almost half of transgender individuals have been sexually assaulted during their lives.
We know who perpetuates gender-based violence in our communities, and we can clearly see who and what systems are impeding our progress toward creating communities that are free from sexual violence.
Attacks on trans individuals must end now.
The introduction of policies that target trans individuals, including trans youth, have increased in just the past couple of years. During the 2023 Nebraska Legislative Session, lawmakers passed a bill to ban access to gender-affirming care for trans youth. Then, in August 2023, Governor Pillen issued an executive order narrowly defining ‘woman’ with the intention to exclude trans people from legal protections in our state. Last year, a similar bill to LB 89 would have excluded trans youth from sports and spaces but failed during first round of debate.
No one is safer or freer when the law is used to discriminate against historically marginalized communities. LB 89 does nothing to protect women or provide any material improvement in women’s lives.
Contact your senator today to oppose LB 89 and let them know that trans individuals exist in Nebraska and trans people belong in Nebraska. This bill must receive the fiercest opposition from allies and advocates alike if we want to create a state where everyone is free to live, work and play.