六周以来，内布拉斯加州参议员马查拉·卡瓦诺在参议院阻挠议事反对一项禁止变性青年性别确认医疗的州法案。现在，卡瓦诺正在扩大她的努力，成立了一个新的政治行动委员会，不要为仇恨立法，她在接受“GMA3”采访时说
内布拉斯加州的LB574法案将禁止19岁以下青少年使用青春期阻滞剂、激素疗法和性别确认手术。
卡瓦诺在2月份告诉立法者，“如果这个立法机构集体决定将针对儿童的仇恨立法作为我们的优先事项，那么我会让它变得痛苦;每个人都痛苦。因为如果你想给我们的孩子带来痛苦，我会给这个身体带来痛苦。”
内布拉斯加州是至少23个考虑限制性别确认护理的州之一。根据人权运动，全国大约有150项针对变性人的法案。美国公民自由联盟表示，全国有超过400项反同性恋、双性恋和变性者法案提交议会审议。
卡瓦诺接受了美国广播公司新闻频道的菲尔·利波夫和伊娃·皮尔格林的采访，讲述了她为什么反对LB574和全国各地提出的类似政策。
菲尔·利波夫:州议员，很高兴见到你。让我们直接开始吧。你是你们州第一个在立法机关90天的会议中阻挠每一项法案的参议员，甚至就你支持的法案进行辩论。这个法案叫做LB574。那么，这项法案实际上提出了什么，为什么你如此反对它?
参议员MACHAELA CAVANAUGH:首先，谢谢你邀请我。是的，所以，LB574是我们在全国看到的立法范本。它在攻击对跨性别青年的性别确认关怀。我们已经看到这种方法被引入到其他多个州。目前它被搁置在阿肯色州的法庭上。内布拉斯加州只是另一个试图将仇恨立法的州。我是来阻止我们这么做的。
伊娃·皮尔格林:你说过你会继续阻挠这项法案，但这样做也拖延了其他重要的工作，如处理预算或解决儿童保育问题。为什么愿意牺牲这些其他问题?你觉得这样值得吗?
卡瓦诺:嗯，我不愿意牺牲其他重要问题。我正在做的是要求立法机关决定我们今年想要做什么，我们的议程是什么，立法是我们的优先事项还是你刚才讨论的所有事情?预算，儿童保健税收抵免，减税，经济。这些是我认为立法机关应该关注的事情，而不是为仇恨立法。我邀请我的同事加入到这场对话中来。因此，如果这意味着我必须放慢速度，阻挠议案，直到我们达成共识，这不是我们作为一个国家的身份，那么这就是我愿意做的。
2023年3月13日，在内布拉斯加州首府林肯，州参议员Machaela Cavanaugh在内布拉斯加州议会前发表讲话。
Margery Beck/AP，文件
LIPOF:根据美国公民自由联盟，有超过400个反LGBTQ法案。人权运动称，大约有150项法案针对变性人。不到1.6%的美国人口是变性人或非双性人。你认为为什么两党的政治家都如此关注跨性别的美国人?
卡瓦诺:我想说，我不知道人们为什么关注这个问题。我所知道的是，这些政策试图削弱内布拉斯加州和整个国家的变性人，使他们失去人性，士气低落。我们作为一个整体，无论我们属于哪个政党，都需要站出来反对这一点。我们国家的公共政策制定者攻击弱势群体是不恰当的。我认为我们所有人都有责任站出来反对。这真的是我们国家的一个危机，一个危机，至少在我的州是这样。我要求我的同事们站出来反对这一点。
朝圣者:正如你提到的，我们在全国范围内看到了很多关于这个问题的讨论。这是一个有争议的问题，特别是因为它涉及到儿童。将会有很多人说这是极端的，等待这些孩子长大，以确保这实际上是他们的选择，似乎并不那么极端。为什么你认为这些孩子现在需要这种照顾?
卡瓦诺:我认为每个人都应该获得适当的医疗保健，我坚信父母的权利和为他们的孩子做出医疗决定。我们正在攻击某种医疗保健，因为病人是谁，他们是如何识别的。这不是政府应该掌握的事情。父母、医疗提供者和他们的孩子应该一起做这些决定。我觉得医疗合适不合适，完全无关紧要。我或任何人都不能说这种护理不合适。这是由父母、病人和医生共同决定的。我不知道为什么我们会接受这一点，只是因为我们在谈论变性儿童。如果我们谈论的是在疫苗问题上剥夺父母的权利，我们就不会有这次谈话了。那么，当涉及到变性儿童时，我们为什么要进行这样的对话呢?
利波夫:好的。这是一个重要的区别，无论我们谈论的是照顾还是父母的权利。感谢你做出这样的区分。今天，你要宣布一个新的政治行动委员会。我希望您能告诉我们一些相关信息，以及您希望它能实现什么。
是的，谢谢你。我是。我要成立一个名为DontLegislateHate.org的政治行动委员会。和我一起的还有我的两位同事，来自奥马哈的参议员梅根·亨特和参议员约翰·弗雷德里克森。我们一直听到内布拉斯加州和全国各地的人们纷纷表示，他们想知道如何支持我们正在做的事情，以及他们可以采取哪些措施来激活这些活动。因此，我们认为这是朝着正确方向迈出的良好一步，成立了一个政治行动委员会，这样我们就可以支持候选人和对话，在全国范围内，尤其是在内布拉斯加州的家中，阻止这种类型的立法。
内布拉斯加州民主党参议员Machaela Cavanaugh。非常感谢您抽出时间和我们在一起。我们很感激。
谢谢你。我很感激来到这里。
Nebraska state senator filibustering proposed ban on trans youth health care forms new PAC: 'Don't Legislate Hate'
For six weeks, Nebraska State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh has beenfilibustering on the Senate floorto fight a state bill that would ban gender-affirming health care for transgender youth. Now, Cavanaugh is broadening her efforts with the formation of a new political action committee, Don't Legislate Hate, she said in an interview with “GMA3.”
The Nebraska bill, LB574, would ban puberty blockers, hormone therapy and gender-affirming surgeries for people under the age of 19.
Pledging to block all state legislation until the bill is withdrawn, Cavanaugh told fellow lawmakers in February, "If this legislature collectively decides that legislating hate against children is our priority, then I am going to make it painful; painful for everyone. Because if you want to inflict pain upon our children, I am going to inflict pain upon this body."
Nebraska is one of at least 23 states considering restrictions on gender-affirming care. According to the Human Rights Campaign, there are about 150 bills targeting transgender people around the country. The ACLU says there are more than 400 anti-LGBTQ bills up for consideration in state houses nationwide.
Cavanaugh spoke to ABC News' Phil Lipof and Eva Pilgrim about why she opposes LB574 and similar policies being proposed around the country.
PHIL LIPOF: State Senator, it's good to see you. Let's jump right into this. You are the first senator in your state to filibuster every bill in your legislature's 90-day session, debating even the ones that you support. And it's all over this bill called LB574. So what is this bill actually proposing and why are you so opposed to it?
SEN. MACHAELA CAVANAUGH: Well, thank you, first of all, for having me. And yes, so, LB574 is a model legislation that we're seeing across the country. It's attacking gender-affirming care for trans youth. And we've seen this being introduced in multiple other states. It's currently tied up in the courts in Arkansas. And Nebraska is just another state that is attempting to legislate hate. And I'm here to stop us from doing that.
EVA PILGRIM: You've said you'll continue to filibuster this bill, but doing so is also delaying other important work like dealing with the budget or tackling child care. Why are you willing to sacrifice these other issues? Do you think this is worth it?
CAVANAUGH: Well, I'm not willing to sacrifice other important issues. What I'm doing is asking the legislature to decide what it is that we want to do this year, what is our agenda and is legislating hate our priority or all the things that you just discussed? The budget, child care tax credits, tax cuts, the economy. These are the things that I believe the legislature should be focused on, not legislating hate. And I'm asking my colleagues to join me in that conversation. So if that means that I have to slow things down and filibuster bills until we can come to some consensus that this is not who we are as a state, then that's what I'm willing to do.
LIPOF: According to the ACLU, there are more than 400 anti-LGBTQ bills. The Human Rights Campaign says about 150 bills target transgender people. Less than 1.6% of the U.S. population is transgender or non-binary. Why do you think politicians on both sides of the aisle are so focused on transgender Americans?
CAVANAUGH: I would say that I don't know why people are focusing on this issue. What I do know is that these policies are an attempt to diminish, dehumanize, demoralize the transgender people in Nebraska and across this country. And we, collectively, no matter what political party we belong to, need to stand up against that. It is inappropriate for our public policy makers in this country to be attacking a vulnerable, minority population. And I think it is incumbent upon all of us to stand up against that. This is really a crisis of our country and a crisis, at least in my state. And I am asking my colleagues to stand up against this.
PILGRIM: We are seeing a lot of discussion about this all across the country, as you mentioned. This is a controversial issue, particularly because it involves children. There are going to be a lot of people who say this is extreme, waiting for these kids to grow up to be sure that this is, in fact, their choice, doesn't seem all that extreme. Why do you think these kids need this care now?
CAVANAUGH: I think that every individual deserves access to appropriate health care, and I believe firmly in parental rights and making medical decisions for their children. We are attacking a certain medical care because of who the patient is and how they identify. This is not something that should be in the hands of government. Parents, medical providers and their children should be making these decisions together. Whether I think medical care is appropriate or inappropriate is completely irrelevant. It is not for me or anyone else to say that this care is inappropriate. It is for a parent, the patient and the doctor to decide together. And I don't know why we would accept this just because we're talking about transgender children. We wouldn't be having this conversation if we were talking about taking away parental rights when it comes to vaccines. So why are we having this conversation when it comes to transgender children?
LIPOF: OK. That’s an important distinction, whether we're talking about the care or parental rights. Appreciate you making that distinction. Today, you're announcing a new political action committee. I'd like you to tell us a little bit about that and what you hope it will accomplish.
CAVANAUGH: Yes, Thank you. I am. I'm starting a political action committee called DontLegislateHate.org. I am joined with two of my colleagues, Sen. Megan Hunt and Sen. John Fredrickson, both of Omaha. And we've been hearing an outpouring from people in Nebraska and across the country wanting to know how they can support what we are doing and what steps they can take to be activated. And so we decided that this was a good step in the right direction to start a political action committee so that we can support candidates and the conversation to stop this type of legislation across the country and definitely here at home in Nebraska.
LIPOF: Nebraska State Democratic Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh. Thanks so much for taking the time to be with us. We appreciate it.
CAVANAUGH: Thank you. I appreciate being here.
