A bill filibustered by Senator Machaela Cavanaugh has ground the passage of bills in the Nebraska Legislature to a crawl. Cavanaugh promised three weeks ago to filibuster every bill that came before the Legislature this year – even those she supported – in response to the advancement of a bill that would outlaw gender-affirming therapies for those under 18.
True to her word, Cavanaugh has introduced amendments to every bill, taking up all eight debate hours allowed by the rules, even when suffering from strep throat.
In the last three weeks, only three bills have advanced. The bill she opposes and another that would ban trans people from using bathrooms and locker rooms or playing on sports teams that don’t align with their birth certificate genders are among about 150 bills targeting transgender people introduced in state legislatures this year.
Cavanaugh’s filibuster has been praised by the LGBTQ community, who see it as a heroic effort to stand up for marginalized people.
Executive director of LGBTQ advocacy group OutNebraska, Abbi Swatsworth, said her organization had been encouraging members and others to inundate state lawmakers with calls and emails to support Cavanaugh’s effort and oppose bills targeting transgender people.
Cavanaugh said the bill she opposes is “legislating hate” and that it attacks trans children. The conservative Omaha lawmaker who introduced the trans bill, state Sen. Kathleen Kauth, said she’s trying to protect children from gender-affirming treatments they might later regret as adults. Cavanaugh’s filibuster has stalled the business of passing laws and has drawn attention to the issue.
»Nebraska Senator’s Filibuster on Transgender Youth Bill Halts Legislative Progress«
↯↯↯Read More On The Topic On TDPel Media ↯↯↯