Nebraska Governor Signs Bill Erasing Trans People from Law
executive order that defines a person’s gender as based on their biological sex and unable to be changed under state law.Dubbed the “Women’s Bill of Rights,” the order seeks to effectively erase the existence of transgender identity from law, directing all state agencies, boards, and commissions to only recognize a person’s male or female assigned sex at birth for legal and statistical purposes.Under the executive order, state agencies would be barred from recognizing a person — even one who had undergone surgical transition, or one who had had their name and gender legally changed by a court order — according to their gender identity.The order defines a “female” as a “person whose biological reproductive system is developed to produce ova” and a “male” as a “person whose biological reproductive system is developed to fertilize the ova of a female.” The order also defines several gender-specific terms, including “woman,” “girl,” “man,” “boy,” “mother,” and “father.”Pillen has claimed the executive order is needed to ensure that women can succeed and thrive in single-sex activities or spaces and to protect the “safety” and bodily autonomy of women in multi-user public facilities where they have the expectation of privacy.“It is common sense that men do not belong in women’s only spaces,” Pillen said in a statement. “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.”Pillen’s order is nearly identical to a similar executive order signed by Oklahoma Republican Gov.