By: Madison Bonin, Reporter
OMAHA, Neb. – In March we covered the four anti trans bills introduced in the Nebraska Unicameral. Last week one of those bills, LB 574, looking to ban gender affirming care for anyone under the age of 19, moved forward in the legislative process. Reporter Madison Bonin says the process can already be difficult.
The Trevor project, a suicide prevention organization for LGBTQ youth reports that receiving gender affirming hormone therapy led to 40 percent lower odds of depression and suicide in trans and non-binary youth.
A bill in the Nebraska Unicameral is looking to ban this exact gender affirming care for individuals under the age of 19.
Maverick Knox grew up in Omaha, through his transitioning he experienced the obstacles in receiving gender affirming care including years of counseling.
“For me just trying to get the chance to even start testosterone I had to go to a therapist to have them make sure I’m transitioning for the right reasons, that it’s something I wanted to do that someone’s not telling me,” he said.
The moving forward of this bill has caused outrage in not only the Unicameral but also across the state. With at least four Omaha high schools planning walk outs in protest of the bill.
Cassy Ross is the Communications director for Senator Megan Hunt. She says LB 574 advanced out of the first round of debate in the unicameral but there is more debate to come.
“It’ll still have to go through the second and third round of debate. Select file is the second and then final reading is the third round of debate. And so, it can be stopped at either point in the next two rounds of debate so it’s not over by any means,” she said.
The Trevor project also reports that in 2022 45 percent of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide. They are fearful this number will only go up if bills like LB 574 are passed.
Senator Hunt and Cavanaugh have vowed to filibuster and stop all bills from passing through the Unicameral until LB 574 is thrown out. So far, they have kept to their world filing 742 motions on other bills trying to pass through legislation.
