In a move that has ignited both support and outrage, Nebraska’s Republican governor, Jim Pillen, recently signed an executive order aiming to define sex as strictly assigned at birth. Here’s the whole story.
Either “Female” or “Male”
The executive order instructs state agencies to categorize individuals as either “female” or “male” based on the sex assigned to them at birth.
It further provides detailed biological definitions for these classifications, with “female” being defined as a person whose “biological reproductive system is designed to produce ova” and “male” as a person whose “biological reproductive system is designed to fertilize the ova of a female.”
Governor Pillen justified this order and said, “It is common sense that men do not belong in women’s-only spaces.”
“It Is My Duty To Protect Our Kids and Women’s Athletics”
“As governor, it is my duty to protect our kids and women’s athletics, which means providing single-sex spaces for women’s sports, bathrooms, and changing rooms,” he added.
However, this executive order has sparked a fierce backlash from LGBTQ+ advocates and organizations.
Abbi Swatsworth, the executive director of OutNebraska, an LGBTQ+ organization, expressed deep concern and anger regarding the governor’s actions.
In a statement, Swatsworth said, “We are deeply disturbed and angered at our governor’s continued attempts to pit two intertwined struggles against one another, all under the guise of ‘protecting’ women.”
“Transgender Rights and Women’s Rights Are Not at Odds”
Swatsworth added, “Transgender rights and women’s rights are not at odds. They are a collective fight for self-determination and control of our own bodies.”
She argued that this executive order represents a thinly veiled attack on transgender women and girls, which could erode civil rights for all Nebraskans and subject any woman or girl’s femininity to unwarranted scrutiny.
This executive order follows a controversial bill that was passed in Nebraska in May.
The bill imposes restrictions on gender-affirming care for transgender youth and includes a 12-week abortion ban.
“This Bill Harms Me in an Unforgivable Way, and This Is a Line That You Don’t Cross With Me.”
The legislative process for this bill was marked by lengthy debates and efforts to block its passage.
Nebraska Democrat Megan Hunt tried to stop the bill, having a personal stake in the LGBTQ+ community as the parent of a transgender son.
She said, “This bill harms me in an unforgivable way, and this is a line that you don’t cross with me.”
Addressing her colleagues who supported the bill, Hunt drew a stark line, saying, “If you cross it today, you’re staying on the other side of it because you have done reputable harm, and you’re doing harm to … Nebraska as well.”
“No Executive Order Can Erase Trans People”
When Governor Pillen signed the executive order defining sex, Megan Hunt responded to Twitter. She wrote, “The truth is, no executive order can erase trans people. They have always existed and always will.”
In another tweet, she wrote, “I don’t respect people who are part of this discriminatory movement to push LGBTQ people back into the shadows. There’s no ‘trans debate’ or ‘trans question’. There’s just trans people and people who don’t want there to be trans people.”
Several social media users shared their thoughts on the incident.
“Using Biology Is Now Explicitly Discriminatory. We’ve Got Some Major Problems”
One Twitter user wrote, “There is no such thing as ‘transgender kids’. This is grooming. Grooming is evil.”
Another user added, “Using biology is now explicitly discriminatory. We’ve got some major problems,” while a third user commented, “a win for straight people.”
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The post Nebraska Governor’s Controversial Executive Order – Defining Sex at Birth Sparks Outrage and Heightens LGBTQ+ Debate first appeared on The Net Worth Of.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Jirapong Manustrong. The people shown in the images are for illustrative purposes only, not the actual people featured in the story.
Source: The Pink News