Nebraska lawmakers on Wednesday passed a bill requiring transgender athletes to participate in sports based on their biological sex assigned at birth, reports the Lincoln Journal Star.
The "Stand with Women Act," which passed 33-16 and now heads to the governor's desk, defines male and female and requires the verification of sex to participate in sports.
Its aim is to promote "equality between the sexes," provide "opportunities for female athletes to compete against their female peers rather than against male athletes," and allow female athletes "to compete on a fair playing field for scholarships and other athletic accomplishments," according to the bill's text.
State Sen. Loren Lippincott, one of the bill’s co-sponsors, said L.B. 89 "is not about shutting doors. It's about opening the right ones."
"LB89 recognizes a simple biological truth: biological males and females are different."
Nebraska joins 26 other states in prohibiting trans students from participating in sports consistent with their gender identity.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.