# Nebraska ballot measure on school sports by sex clears signature milestone  
**Published:** 2026-06-30T18:07:27.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/30/measure-that-would-add-limits-on-school-sports-by-sex-to-nebraska-constitution-gathers-211k-signatures/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/nebraska-ballot-measure-on-school-sports-by-sex-clears-signature-milestone

LINCOLN, Neb. — A conservative-led ballot initiative seeking to constitutionally restrict school and college sports participation based on biological sex has gathered more than 211,000 signatures, surpassing the record for any citizen-led constitutional amendment in Nebraska history, organizers announced Tuesday.

The measure, known as [Fairness for Girls](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/30/measure-that-would-add-limits-on-school-sports-by-sex-to-nebraska-constitution-gathers-211k-signatures/), exceeded the previous signature record of 207,000 set by a 2024 abortion-related ballot initiative. The signatures are subject to verification by the Secretary of State's Office before the July 2 deadline for placement on the November ballot.

The initiative would amend the Nebraska Constitution to require public schools and colleges to designate athletic teams as male, female or co-ed, based on biological sex at birth. The measure would cement protections established by a 2025 state law that already bars those assigned male at birth from competing on female sports teams.

Former state Sen. Julie Slama, a principal sponsor from Dunbar, said the constitutional amendment is necessary to prevent what she termed ongoing political debate. "Girls deserve equal opportunities in their sports. Men competing in girls' sports steal their opportunities to earn scholarships, medals, and advancement," Slama said.

The initiative gains momentum following [a U.S. Supreme Court ruling Tuesday](https://www.npr.org/2026/06/30/nx-s1-5836513/supreme-court-transgender-athletes) that upheld similar transgender athlete bans in Idaho and West Virginia. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote that Title IX and the Constitution do not require an overhaul of women's and girls' sports, though he urged respect for transgender athletes seeking to compete.

The ballot measure faces opposition from LGBTQ+ advocacy groups. Rainbow Parents of Nebraska previously characterized the effort as "another distraction and an attempt to increase conservative voter turnout." OutNebraska has called for voters to decline signing the petition.

To qualify for the November ballot, the initiative needed signatures from 10 percent of the state's registered voters distributed across Nebraska's counties. The measure would be substantially harder to change than existing state law, since only another ballot initiative or legislative referral could alter constitutional provisions.

U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts said he "certainly wants to make sure that everybody has the opportunity to turn out and vote for this ballot initiative," according to reporting by the Nebraska Examiner.

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/30/measure-that-would-add-limits-on-school-sports-by-sex-to-nebraska-constitution-gathers-211k-signatures/)
- [NPR reporting on U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding state transgender athlete bans](https://www.npr.org/2026/06/30/nx-s1-5836513/supreme-court-transgender-athletes)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/30/measure-that-would-add-limits-on-school-sports-by-sex-to-nebraska-constitution-gathers-211k-signatures/.