Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

5 hours ago

‘Reservoir Dogs’ and ‘Kill Bill’ Actor Michael Madsen Dies at 67

5 hours ago

Eyeing Arctic Dominance, Trump Bill Earmarks $8.6 Billion for US Coast Guard Icebreakers

6 hours ago

Trump’s Sweeping Tax-Cut and Spending Bill Wins Congressional Approval

7 hours ago
Nebraska Is the Latest State to Ban Transgender Students From Girls' Sports
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 4 weeks ago on
June 4, 2025

Nebraska joins 24 other states restricting transgender athletes from women's sports competitions. (AP/Margery Beck)

Share

LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen signed into law Wednesday a measure banning transgender students from girls’ sports, making the state the latest to keep transgender athletes from competing on women’s and girls’ teams.

Pillen signed the law flanked by dozens of lawmakers, women athletes and other advocates — including former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines, who has made a name for herself as a vocal advocate of banning transgender athletes from women’s sports.

The measure passed by the Nebraska Legislature last week broke a filibuster by a single vote cast along party lines. It was pared down from its initial form, which also sought to bar transgender students from using bathrooms and locker rooms corresponding with their gender identity.

Bathroom Ban Dropped to Secure Passage

Sponsors agreed to drop the bathroom and locker room ban when one Republican — Omaha Sen. Merv Riepe — declared he would vote against it otherwise.

The measure was first introduced in 2023 by then-freshman Sen. Kathleen Kauth, but failed to advance as lawmakers angrily argued over Kauth’s other bill that sought to bar gender-affirming care for transgender minors under the age of 19. An amended version that banned gender-affirming surgery — but not all gender-affirming care — for minors later passed and was enacted that year.

On Wednesday, Kauth promised to revive her bathroom and locker room ban next year, reiterating her rejection that people can determine their own gender.

“Men are men and women are women,” she said, and urged voters in Riepe’s district to pressure him to support it.

Supporters Cite Fairness, Critics Question Necessity

Republicans behind the sports ban say it protects women and girls and their ability to fairly compete in sports. Opponents say with so few transgender students seeking to participate in sports, the measure is a solution in search of a problem.

Fewer than 10 transgender students have applied to participate in middle school and high school sports in the state since 2018, the Nebraska School Activities Association said Wednesday.

At least 24 other states have adopted similar bans. President Donald Trump also signed an executive order this year intended to dictate which sports competitions transgender athletes can enter and has battled in court with Maine over that state’s allowing transgender athletes in girls’ and women’s sports.

Civil Rights Groups Condemn New Law

The American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska denounced the measure.

ACLU Nebraska Executive Director Mindy Rush Chipman said the ban “slams the door shut” for some transgender students to fully participate in their school communities.

“This ban will only create problems, not solve any,” Rush Chipman said, adding that “the constant targeting of LGBTQ+ Nebraskans must stop.”

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

UP NEXT

Madre Fire Burns More Than 52,000 Acres in San Luis Obispo County

Valadao, Costa Spar on What Passage of Trump’s Bill Means for Medicaid Recipients

3 hours ago

US Military Says 200 Marines Being Sent to Support ICE in Florida

3 hours ago

Fresno Crash Involving Unlicensed Teen Driver Sends Woman to Hospital

A two-vehicle collision sent a woman driving one of the vehicles to the hospital with a head injury Thursday afternoon in Fresno. Fresno pol...

1 hour ago

A crash causes a traffic jam in northwest Fresno on Thursday, July 3, 2025. (GV Wire/Paul Marshall)
1 hour ago

Fresno Crash Involving Unlicensed Teen Driver Sends Woman to Hospital

The Madre Fire near New Cuyama has burned 52,593 acres with 5% containment, prompting evacuation orders in several San Luis Obispo County zones as of Thursday, July 3, 2025, afternoon. (CalFire)
2 hours ago

Madre Fire Burns More Than 52,000 Acres in San Luis Obispo County

2 hours ago

RIP John Harris: Fresno County Rancher, Racehorse Breeder Was a Visionary Leader Who Leaves a ‘Profound Legacy’

3 hours ago

Valadao, Costa Spar on What Passage of Trump’s Bill Means for Medicaid Recipients

An ICE agent talks with migrants about their scheduled appointments with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Father’s Day, to learn about their immigration status, in Chicago, Illinois., U.S., June 15, 2025. (Reuters File)
3 hours ago

US Military Says 200 Marines Being Sent to Support ICE in Florida

Boeing logo and miniature satellite model are seen in this illustration taken, March 10, 2025. (Reuters File)
4 hours ago

Boeing Secures $2.8 Billion US Satellite Contract

4 hours ago

Kaweah Health Names Its New Chief Nurse. She’s From Texas

Clovis Police are searching for Pathmani Goonawardena, 82, who went missing nearly three weeks ago and was last seen driving a white Volvo near Copper and Auberry, possibly en route to Coarsegold. (CHP)
4 hours ago

Clovis Police Say At-Risk Missing Woman Found Dead in Mariposa County

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend