Fairness for Girls Launches Ballot Initiative to Protect Nebraska’s Girls’ Sports
LINCOLN, Neb. – Today, Fairness for Girls, a ballot initiative proposing a Nebraska constitutional amendment to protect women’s and girls’ sports, officially launched. The initiative restricts biological males from participating in girls’ sports.
The Fairness for Girls Committee is comprised of three commonsense Nebraskans: Rob Schafer, a University of Nebraska Regent and Beatrice attorney; Julie Slama, a former state Senator and Dunbar attorney; and Elizabeth Nunnally, a non-profit advocacy coordinator.
The Fairness for Girls Committee jointly released the following statement:
“Nebraskans support preserving opportunities for young girls, protecting female athletes’ safety, and keeping the process fair. Biological males competing in girls’ sports pose a physical safety risk to young girls while also taking away opportunities for medals, tournament advancement, and scholarships. Protecting young girls’ safety and opportunities is our top priority.”
Fairness for Girls has submitted proposed ballot language to Nebraska Secretary of State Robert Evnen. The proposed object statement reads:
“The object of this petition is to amend the Nebraska Constitution to establish constitutional protections for sex-separate athletics to ensure equal access to athletic opportunities for females.”
The proposed constitutional amendment language reads:
Schools must expressly designate each athletic team or sport as one of the following based on biological sex: Males, men or boys; females, women, or girls; or coed or mixed.
Athletic teams or sports designated for females, women, or girls pursuant to subsection (1) of this section shall not be open to students of the male sex.
For purposes of this section, “schools” shall mean interscholastic, intercollegiate, and intramural athletic teams or sports that are sponsored by a common school of this state, a public postsecondary educational institution of this state, or any school or institution of learning in this state not owned or exclusively controlled by the state or a political subdivision thereof whose athletic teams or sports compete against a common school or public postsecondary educational institution of this state, or any school or institution of learning in this state not owned or exclusively controlled by the state or a political subdivision thereof whose athletic teams or sports compete against a common school or public postsecondary education institution of this state.
This section shall be self-executing, but legislation may be enacted to facilitate its operation. If any part or parts of this section are found to conflict with federal law or the Constitution of the United States, this section shall be implemented to the maximum extent permitted by federal law and the Constitution of the United States. Any provision held invalid shall be severable from the remaining portions of this section.