LINCOLN- Nebraska may be set to join at least 18 other states that have enacted bans on transgender youth participation on sports teams under a new bill introduced to the Legislature on Tuesday. LB575, or more formally the "Sports and Spaces" proposal, was introduced by Sen. Kathleen Kauth alongside 27 co-sponsors and seeks to limit the participation of transgender youth athletes to school-sponsored teams intended for their biological sex. "It just seems like common sense," said Kauth.

LB557 would also block biological males from entering girls' locker rooms and vice versa, and Sen. Kauth claimed that the bill would disallow "bigger, stronger, faster" biological males from playing girls' sports. Sen. Kauth, who was appointed to her seat by former Gov. Ricketts, also introduced the "Let Them Grow Act," or LB574, a bill that would block any gender alteration procedures prior to a person's 19th birthday. "We need to give kids a chance to think and grow," said Kauth in defense of LB574, "and get all of their physical development done and make these decisions when they're adults."

The ACLU of Nebraska was quick to criticize both bills following their introduction, claiming that they are "alarming acts of government overreach." Currently, the Nebraska State Activities Association, which governs the state's school sports, has a process by which "bona fide" transgender students can play sports consistent with their gender identity.

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