Lizzo is here to remind us that we are special. Saturday night (May 19), during a stop on her Special 2our in Omaha, Nebraska, she shared a message with her fans who are in danger of losing reproductive rights and trans-affirming care.
via: The Independent
After an epic filibuster that blocked legislation for nearly three months, state lawmakers in Nebraska approved a Republican-led ban on abortion care at roughly 10 weeks of pregnancy, combined with a bill that bans gender-affirming care for transgender youth.
The extraordinary maneuvers in the smallest legislative body in the country have drawn national attention, as lawmakers across the United States take up a wave of bills targeting abortion rights and LGBT+ people.
Protesters surrounded the state capitol chambers in Lincoln on 19 May chanting “keep your bans off our bodies” and “save our lives” as lawmakers made their final round of votes on the bill, which now heads to the desk of Republican Governor Jim Pillen, who intends to sign it into law. At least six protesters were arrested.
At a show in Nebraska hours after the vote on Friday night, the artist Lizzo lambasted the legislation from the stage. “It really breaks my heart that there are young people growing up in a world that doesn’t protect them,” she said.
“Don’t let anyone tell you who you are. … These laws are not real. You are what’s real, and you deserve to be protected.”
LGBT+ advocates and abortion rights groups have also signalled they are prepared to sue the state to block the measure once it is signed into law.
“To be clear, we refuse to accept this as our new normal,” according to a statement from ACLU of Nebraska interim director Mindy Rush Chipman. “This vote will not be the final word. We are actively exploring our options to address the harm of this extreme legislation, and that work will have our team’s full focus. This is not over, not by a long shot.”
The legislation directs the state’s chief medical officer – appointed by the Republican governor – to draft the rules for how young trans people and their families can access nonsurgical affirming healthcare.
It also bans abortion at 12 weeks gestational age, or roughly nine or 10 weeks, from fertilization.
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