At the close of the 2026 Nebraska Legislative Session, here are OutNebraska’s reflections:
To start off this session, Senator Kauth introduced three anti-transgender bills and a legislative study, continuing her years-long campaign to push transgender Nebraskans out of public life and to the fringes of our state. LB730 targeted the ability of transgender and gender-expansive Nebraskans to thrive in public life by banning restroom access and imposing rigid definitions of gender. LB731 and LB732 attacked healthcare for transgender individuals from two different directions. As the session progressed, it was clear that none of these bills would move forward on their own, and the Legislature chose to dedicate its limited time to bills that would improve the lives of everyday people across our state. Senator Kauth knew this. And she panicked.
What followed was a desperate, harmful strategy: hijacking unrelated legislation to force her discriminatory agenda onto the floor for debate. She stole time from bills that would have helped Nebraskans to center her need to police the lives of transgender Nebraskans.
Let’s talk about what she was willing to sabotage. LB878 is a paid parental leave bill for state employees. The amendment would allow eligible workers to spend time with their newborn or newly adopted child when returning home. Senator Kauth attempted to amend LB730’s restroom restrictions onto this bill via AM2751. Although she was unsuccessful, she nearly tanked legislation designed to support Nebraska’s working mothers and spent valuable debate time on legislation that would otherwise not have seen the light of day due to its unpopularity with Nebraskans.
LB933 was a medical cannabis bill that would have helped patients access care their providers had already prescribed by protecting them from legal consequences. Senator Kauth successfully pushed LB732, her ban on healthcare for transgender youth, onto this bill via AM2840, forcing Senator John Cavanaugh to rescind legislation that would have helped Nebraskans who have been fighting for access to medical cannabis for years.
Senator Kauth and her allies claim her work protects women and girls. We have a question: Where does that protection fit when you’re willing to poison-pill paid parental leave for new mothers? Where is the concern for women when you sacrifice medical cannabis access for patients managing chronic illness and pain? It is clear that the answer is that this was never about protecting women and girls in Nebraska. It has always been about targeting transgender people. And during this session, Senator Kauth has shown us that she will burn down anything in her path to do it.
Who gets to have the good life in Nebraska? We believe every Nebraskan does.
This session, the will of Nebraskans and their love for their neighbors prevailed. Throughout these past months, we have seen our community showing up to say that what they want is a Nebraska that respects and protects all of us, yes, that includes transgender Nebraskans.
We could not be prouder of the allies and the LGBTQIA+ community spread throughout the state.
We are reaching the interim period, starting next week. Now is the time to rest and care for yourself and your body. Legislative work and support is often a marathon of sustained effort.
~ OutNebraska
OutNebraska is a nonpartisan organization working to empower, celebrate, and grow LGBTQIA+ communities in Nebraska. For more information, visit outnebraska.org.
