Nebraska State Senator: "I am too old to change my mind."

Anti-discrimination Bill Dead for Another Year

     Well, here in Nebraska, a statewide ban on discrimination against LGBTQ persons has been rejected without coming to a vote. The bill's supporters did not have the necessary votes to overcome a filibuster. For those of you not familiar with Nebraska, it's the only state in the U.S. with a single-house legislature (we call it "the Unicameral"), and on top of that, it is officially non-partisan, meaning candidates cannot declare their party on the ballot (though of course party affiliations are no secret). Actually, this is a really good idea, especially for a smallish state like Nebraska. In my opinion, more states should try it, but that is another story. 

     The Lincoln Journal Star reported that supporters of LB627, as it was known, believed they had close to the 25 votes needed to advance the measure to the next round of consideration, but 33 are needed to end a filibuster. Once again this year, there will be no up or down vote on the measure. During the debate, however, my senator, a man named Rob Clements (Nebraska Legislative District 2) apparently said he was, at 68 years old, too old to change his mind about the status of LGBTQ persons. Yes, too old to change his mind.

     Whatever Senator Rob Clements believes about workplace discrimination, this is one of the most ridiculous comments any elected official can make. Previously, Clements said he was opposed to the bill on religious grounds. He noted that many employers had strong religious convictions about hiring gay people, and to force them to do so would violate the First Amendment. That is a tenuous argument, but it is surely not as silly as saying "I'm too old and I won't change my mind." 

     A little about Rob Clements. He was appointed to his seat in 2017 to fill the vacancy of Senator Bill Kintner. Kintner had been forced to resign under pressure after it was revealed that he used his government-issued computer to engage in "cyber sex" on line while on an official business trip. The eventual resignation only happened after Governor Pete Ricketts publicly told Kintner to resign, and only after Kintner had lost all the support of his fellow conservatives in the Unicameral. However, the resignation allowed the governor to appoint someone who would be a loyal servant in the Unicameral, though Kintner was already extremely loyal (he was just kind of an embarrassment.) The usual procedure when the governor appoints someone is to review the letters of those who express interest in the job. Clements did not even submit a letter; the governor just called him and told him he wanted him in the job. Apparently this was after the governor had been assured by several folks that Rob would be completely subservient to the governor's wishes on legislative acts. 

     After a lackluster first year, Rob Clements is apparently finding his voice He has been quoted more in the media on various issues, and this bill is one where he is making a name for himself. Even though I strongly disagree with the religious freedom argument, it at least makes a modicum of sense from the standpoint of some religious people, particularly conservative Evangelical Christians. In the spirit of full disclosure, I was once an Evangelical Christian. After our son came out as gay in 2002, I moved away from that kind of Christianity, and now I could not find myself attending that kind of church. Even though I believe that many Evangelicals are sincere in their insistence that they only "hate the sin, but love the sinner," I also think they are wrong. My son no more decided to become gay than he decided to have green eyes.

     In a pluralistic society, and not a theocracy, we accept that all persons have rights. It seems simply factual that many employers would refuse to hire minorities, or women, or non-native English speakers, or LGBTQ persons, if they thought they could get away with it. In fact, many employers find legal ways to keep from hiring these people anyway. A non-discrimination law does not necessarily stop that from happening, but it does serve to give employers pause. On the other hand, many employers want to escape the bigotry of the past. My son's employer is one of them. His employer knows he is gay, if for no other reason than his husband is on his insurance. His employer affirmatively extends benefits to same-sex couples. 

     The religious argument is one I disagree with, but as I said, Rob Clements' argument that "I am too old for changing my mind" is unacceptable for any elected leader. My question to Rob Clements is "Why in the world do you want to be in office?" I cannot be the first to break it to Rob that he is going to encounter many issues that will challenge his long-held views. One of the jobs of an elected leader is to present coherent arguments why they are for or against something. One's age does not pass for a coherent argument.  

     Well, at least Governor Ricketts will rest easy. The efforts by Rob Clements and the other Pete Ricketts adherents keep him from having to veto a bill to protect LGTBQ workers from overt discrimination in the workplace. That has been the Ricketts strategy all along. When he can contribute lots of money from the Ricketts Family Fortune to candidates, he does. When he can appoint loyalists, he does. And Rob Clements has not let him down, even if Rob's rationale is lame.