Nebraska LGBT advocates speak out as US Supreme Court takes up Tennessee gender care law

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Wednesday on a challenge to a Tennessee law banning transgender care for minors.

Nebraska is among the 26 states that have adopted laws that restrict or ban gender-affirming care for people under 18.

Here, gender-affirming surgeries are banned for minors, and children must undergo a certain amount of therapy before hormones or puberty blockers can be prescribed.

Opponents said these laws are an overreach into private family matters.

Channel 8 spoke with local members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community who asked to remain anonymous.

“My personal opinion is the government and insurance companies should not be making medical decisions for people,” said one LGBT advocate. “That minors in conjunction with their parents or guardians and their medical providers who are informed should be making those decisions for their best interest.”

Supporters say these laws protect children from making decisions they may later regret.

“We believe in protecting our kids and making sure that they — parents and kids — don’t get duped into the silliness that if you do this, you’ll become happy,” Gov. Jim Pillen said last year when he signed Nebraska’s ban into law.

But opponents argue that the laws deny transgender minors essential care and support during a critical period of self-discovery.

“I came out when I was 17 in Texas,” one man said. “Living there at the time, there was no gender-affirming care ban, but at the time, I didn’t even seek out gender-affirming care because I recognize that it would be a difficult process to navigate.”

LGBT advocates told Channel 8 that everyone’s story is not the same and shouldn’t be treated as such.

“It can seem like it’s a threat because it doesn’t fit into your view of the world,” one said. “But it’s important to recognize that one person’s view of the world is very limited and that should not be imposed on everyone else.”