Bullsh*t
Weird week for Nebraska in the news– we broke a world record, our football team is at war with my sanity again, and we learned that apparently, it’s illegal to outfit your car for a bull to ride shotgun.
A bull can’t even ride in a car anymore??? What happened to “freedom” in this country?
In all seriousness– there were some important things that happened this week in the shadow of Volleyball Day and the bull-car saga.
On Wednesday, just before the Volleyball Day festivities kicked off at Memorial Stadium, Governor Jim Pillen signed a “Women’s Bill of Rights”, which effectively just discriminates against the transgender community.
Volleyball Day was supposed to be about the girls, and using the day as an excuse to discriminate is just nasty, nasty work.
It prompted the idea in my mind though, how can we simultaneously celebrate the achievements of Nebraskans while still acknowledging that we are far from equality in this state.
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
So– how are we supposed to grapple with our wins, especially when Republicans take the chance to discriminate on the same day?
Looking further into the events of Wednesday, my expectations were sky-high. Both my parents coached women’s volleyball, and I grew up playing it, so seeing the game I love get such a big platform meant so much.
But, at around noon on game day, I got an email that Gov. Pillen had used an Executive Order to establish a “Women’s Bill of Rights”. I mean, it sounds good in concept, right?
Upon reading the Executive Order, I can confirm that this ‘Bill of Rights’ SUCKS. It straight up is awful and discriminatory.
The only thing that the Women’s Bill of Rights actually does is discriminate against the transgender community.
Gov. Pillen justified the Order by saying, “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.”
Well, Governor, women just set a world record in this state, and not a single moment of the broadcast was spent talking about how women’s sports are apparently so endangered. Just like so many other GOP culture wars, the issues are all crafted by Republican politicians to fire up their base. Simply put, they aren’t real issues.
Taking our Wins in Stride
It leads me to my point– keeping women’s sports, or any other things that are apparently in danger, “safe”, means amplifying their platform, not issuing discriminatory legislation.
First and most importantly, congratulations to the girls from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Nebraska-Omaha, University of Nebraska-Kearney, and Wayne State on their accomplishments. 92,003 people showed up to watch them play, and nobody can take that achievement away.
Seeing women’s sports on that stage meant so much to so many people. Watching the game with my parents, I turned and saw my mom get teary-eyed as the Husker girls did the tunnel walk out into the world-record crowd. The inspiration that these women gave to girls across the country is what happens when you give underrepresented groups the platform that they have earned and deserve.
So, let’s celebrate the accomplishments of those around us when they succeed. Yes, there is progress to be made, and we will spend every day working against hate in this state, but celebration does not mean complacency.
While we can’t set a world record all the time, Volleyball Day showed the power of a platform. Giving a platform and fighting for equality isn’t always about world records – sometimes it means buying from a local family-owned or minority-owned business. It means advocating for folks from underrepresented groups to hold positions of power.
The women of the University of Nebraska have laid the groundwork for change. They showed that giving women a platform isn’t a partisan issue. Folks turned out from Gering to Omaha to watch their Huskers , give the girls a platform, and a world record, that they have earned. Equality isn’t a partisan issue, despite what Republicans want you to think. Volleyball Day showed Nebraskans’ appetite for equality, and the GOP knows it is fighting a losing battle in trying to discriminate against underrepresented communities.
To everyone involved in Volleyball Day– thank you for serving as an inspiration across the globe, and for letting the game that I love be a vehicle for equality and change on a world record stage. So, let’s celebrate the win, re-group, and keep marching on in our fight for equality.
Around the Horn
In the spirit of amplifying those who have earned it, please check out the opening screenings of the Native American coming-of-age film War Pony. It’s opening at the Ross Theatre in Lincoln this September. For showtimes– please visit this link.
Hurricane Idalia ravaged Florida this week, making landfall as a Category 3 storm on the state’s Gulf Coast. Experts expect this Atlantic hurricane season to be one of the most dangerous in recent memory, largely in part due to climate change.
A special shout out to the folks at Support our Schools this week! The team collected over double the amount of signatures needed for LB753, the school voucher bill, to be turned over to the voters. Thanks to the hard work of the Support our Schools team, Nebraskans will now have a direct say in whether or not they want their tax dollars to pay for private schools!
Nebraska Football opened their season last night at Minnesota. While I’m still making peace with my post-loss depression, the luckiest man in that game was Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Governor Walz, born in Nebraska, now Governor of Minnesota, was in a truly can’t lose scenario.
Governor Walz will be a Keynote speaker at this year’s Ben Nelson Gala, which I affectionately refer to as “The Ben”. Gov. Walz has been a driving force behind Minnesota’s transition from a red state to a progressive stronghold. If you want to see Governor Walz and other amazing speakers– please consider purchasing a ticket to this year’s Nelson Gala!
Thank you for reading!
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to reach out at jack@nebraskademocrats.org.
All the best,
Jack Schiewe
