Nebraska Gov. Pillen signed LB89, barring transgender athletes from K-12 and college women's sports
On June 4, 2025, Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen signed LB89, the "Stand With Women Act," after the Nebraska Legislature passed it 33-16 on May 28, 2025. The law requires K-12 and college/university student-athletes to compete on sports teams matching their sex at birth, barring transgender girls and women from girls' and women's teams. Bathroom and locker-room restrictions included in earlier drafts were dropped before passage.
Actors
- Jim Pillen (Governor of Nebraska)
- Nebraska Legislature
On June 4, 2025, Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen signed Legislative Bill 89, the "Stand With Women Act," after the Nebraska Legislature passed it 33-16 on May 28, 2025. As enacted, the law requires K-12 and college/university student-athletes in Nebraska to compete on sports teams matching their sex at birth, defined by reproductive biology, barring transgender girls and women from girls' and women's teams.
Bathroom and locker-room restrictions included in earlier drafts of the bill were dropped before final passage; the bill's sponsor, Sen. Kathleen Kauth, said she intended to reintroduce those provisions in a future session. The enacted law's scope is limited to athletic-team eligibility.
By requiring participation in sex-segregated school and college sports to be determined by sex at birth rather than gender identity, the law excludes transgender women and girls from Nebraska's public K-12 and college athletic programs statewide.
Why we recorded this
Equal treatment under the law means government does not exclude people from public institutions because of who they are. Nebraska's LB89 requires student-athletes to compete on teams matching their sex at birth, barring transgender girls and women from K-12 and college women's sports statewide. This archive records when a state uses law to exclude a protected group from participation in public education programs otherwise open to them.
Sources
- Nebraska LB89 (2025) — LegiScan bill history — LegiScan primary accessed July 13, 2026
- Governor Pillen Signs the Stand With Women Act — Office of the Governor of Nebraska primary accessed July 13, 2026
- Pillen signs law defining male, female for Nebraska K-12 and college sports — Nebraska Examiner investigative accessed July 13, 2026
- Nebraska lawmakers amend and advance 'Stand with Women Act,' dropping bathroom restrictions — 1011now (KOLN/KGIN) secondary accessed July 13, 2026
See also
- Tennessee Gov. Lee signed SB0937, barring public schools from requiring anyone to provide their preferred pronouns
- Montana Gov. Gianforte signed HB682 imposing liability on gender-affirming care providers and framing the care as fraudulent
- Montana Gov. Gianforte signed HB690 excluding non-affirmation of a child's gender identity from child abuse and neglect definitions
- Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed SB418 mandating birth-sex segregation of prison facilities and barring transgender inmates from opposite-sex housing
- Oklahoma Gov. Stitt signed SB796 banning state funds for DEI programs at public universities
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