Neb. ‘affirm’ political furor

An avowed “petty” Nebraska senator with a transgender child and “a grudge” has joined fellow Democrats in promising to completely block the Legislature until June after it voted for a bill banning gender-affirming care for kids.

Omaha Sen. Megan Hunt told the chamber Wednesday why the “Let Them Grow” bill was personal and accused the bill’s supporters of stirring “satanic panic.”

“My son is trans,” she said of her 12-year-old child, who she complained has been unable to get gender-affirming care. “And this bill, colleagues, is such an affront to me personally and would violate my rights to parent my child in Nebraska.”

Before the bill passed on Thursday, Hunt vowed to follow the filibuster started in February by Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh, which was only halted this week.

“If this bill passes, all your bills are on the chopping block, and the bridge is burned,” Hunt warned. “No one in the world holds a grudge like me. And no one in the world cares less about being petty than me. I don’t care — I don’t like you.”

Cavanaugh, a married mother of three, had already carried out an almost threeweek filibuster after warning: “I will burn the session to the ground over this bill.”

She said she only paused it to record which lawmakers would “legislate hate against children” and support the bill banning hormone treatments, puberty blockers and gender reassignment surgery for those under 18.

On Thursday, she promised to stick with her plan to filibuster the remainder of the Legislature’s 90-day session, which ends on June 9.

Other lawmakers vowed to join her and Hunt, including Lincoln Sen. Danielle Conrad and Omaha Sen. Jen Day.