The Lincoln City Council passed the "Fairness Ordinance" on February 14, penalizing anyone expressing views in opposition to those in government or positions of power.
WND reported that the 67-page ordinance received criticism after being foreseen as a hindrance to First Amendment rights. The ordinance expands Lincoln City's ban on conversion therapy and its definition of harassment. It also empowers the nine-person panel Lincoln Human Rights Commission to enforce its provisions.
As per The Journal Star, the ordinance is a revision of the city's Title 11 provisions on equal opportunity. The revision entails adding military personnel and the members of the LGBTQ under the protected classes of Title 11, thereby giving protection on matters of sexual orientation and gender. The new ordinance is perceived as a broader version of the old one, especially in terms of the functions of the Lincoln Human Rights Commission.
The Nebraska Family Alliance filed the referendum petition that intends to block the ordinance's enactment by gathering 4,137 signatures. The petition is called, "Let Us Vote," and is regarded as an aggressive grassroots information campaign across the city that runs for 15 days.
The petition was filed out of fear that gender identity will become a basis for bathroom access. This is on top of projected First Amendment rights violations that businesses may experience for expressing biblical beliefs on marriage and sexuality.
Nebraska Family Alliance Executive Director Karen Bowling claimed the ordinance aims to circumvent a referendum on a 2012 bill that was blocked by a signature campaign. She disclosed in a statement that they are doing their best to beat the time given in accumulating the signatures needed to block the ordinance's implementation. She said that they have already trained volunteers to circulate the petition across Lincoln City.
"Our volunteers believe every person should be treated with dignity and respect, and they are energized and motivated to halt this dangerous ordinance that would allow biological men in women's showers, locker rooms, and restrooms," Bowling said.
Bowling highlighted that the ordinance is a bi-partisan concern for it will affect everyone in the city, particularly citing schools, churches, gyms, and swimming pools. She raised that women's rights would be one of the areas the ordinance will trample on.
"It's a nonpartisan issue. The ordinance penalizes citizens for expressing a worldview different from those currently in positions of political power. No person should be charged with devastating fines by an unelected commission for simply upholding the privacy rights of women and girls in bathrooms and changing rooms," Bowling stressed.
However, the Nebraska Family Foundation is not the only one opposing the ordinance. Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts himself condemned the ordinance saying it is a threat to values that parents traditionally would like to inculcate in their children.
"This ordinance is anything but fair--it should be called the 'unfairness ordinance.' It puts girls at risk by allowing men into girls' bathrooms. It applies to private schools and not to public schools. It prevents parents from helping their kids who are experiencing gender dysphoria. And it threatens to bankrupt families who instill traditional values on their children--anyone who disagrees could get fined up to $50,000," Ricketts said.
The City Council would have to repeal the ordinance or allow voters to decide upon it once the signatures are completed.
