Nebraska governor Jim Pillen, a Republican not noted as a women’s rights supporter, yesterday issued an executive order “defining” males and females and the attributes thereof. The anti-transgender political grandstanding offers fusty explanations of the sexes–men are “bigger, stronger and faster” on average–in pursuit of Rowling-esque calls for sexual segregation (and even echoing her ostensibly feminist rationales) and not a lot else.
The order declares that, in matters of the state, the “biological differences between the sexes are enduring” and that the “sex” of a person will be defined by the gender designated at birth. In addition to specifically noting how boy, girl, man, and woman will be defined, the order also includes biological descriptions. …
“It is common sense that men do not belong in women’s only spaces,” Pillen said in the news release. “As Governor, it is my duty to protect our kids and women’s athletics, which means providing single-sex spaces for women’s sports, bathrooms, and changing rooms.”
The reaction, at least from Democrats, is to point out that if it were enforced, the likely outcome would be Nebraska losing federal funding for womens’ shelters.
“Today Governor Pillen, famous women’s rights supporter, signed this offensive and ridiculous proclamation establishing a “Women’s Bill of Rights.” He should try saying this stuff to my face then we would see who’s got what biological advantage,” wrote State Senator Megan Hunt on Twitter.
There is a missing “on average” in the title of this headline, which completely negates the oniony part of the sentence.
This bill did not say that men were exclusively bigger, stronger, and faster, or that women weren’t. It just said that, on average, they are, which is true.
Why that is in an executive order, honestly, there is no good reason for it, but the principle is still the same: lying by omission is still lying, especially in a culture where people only read headlines.
You got it right here but nevertheless missed the point pretty hard. What he said and how he said isn’t the point of the article: what he did and why he did it is what is newsworthy.
It’s about transgender athletes, I’m guessing.