Most of the time, reports of crazed leftism turning into actual policy come from one of the coastal cities, such as San Francisco or New York City. But the Left’s ideology is just as present in Middle America as it is in California — it just does a better job of disguising itself.
This past week, for example, city officials in Lincoln, Nebraska (a reliably red state made up of level-headed farmers) passed an ordinance embracing radical gender ideology and making it the law of the land. The policy, dubbed the “Fairness Ordinance,” redefines sex to include “gender identity” and adds gender identity and sexual orientation to its list of protected classes.
But what exactly is this policy protecting these groups from? That’s where things start to get dicey. One of the banned practices under this policy is “conversion therapy,” which is defined as “any counseling, practice, or treatment that seeks to change a minor’s sexual orientation or gender identity.” This definition is so vague that it could very well apply to a counselor or teacher who advises a young person against undergoing a permanent gender transition procedure. In other words, anyone who tries to apply common sense to transgender issues is now eligible for punishment under Lincoln’s law.
The punishment this ordinance calls for is just as extreme. First-time offenders could be slapped with a $10,000 fine, and a second offense earns a $25,000 fine. Each offense after that earns a $50,000 fine.
To make matters worse, Lincoln officials left the enforcement of this ordinance to the city’s Human Rights Commission, a panel made up of nine unelected bureaucrats who are assigned to the role by the city’s mayor. These nine commissioners will get to decide what constitutes a violation of the Fairness Ordinance and what kind of punishment alleged violators should face.
This ordinance should alarm everyone, not just those within Lincoln’s city limits, because it proves the Left’s gender ideology can and will make its way into every corner of America — especially in places where you least expect it.
