Nebraska governor defines man, woman, boy, girl

The governor of Nebraska yesterday defined the terms man, woman, boy and girl by executive order. In so doing he joined the governor of Oklahoma in doing the same thing and with much the same language. These are the most comprehensive official definitions to date for terms that, for thousands of years, remained undefined.

Nebraska joins Oklahoma in writing common sense into public policy

Gov. Jim Pillen (R-Neb.) issued Executive Order 23-16 yesterday, according to Jim Hoft at The Gateway Pundit. The order begins with several findings or “Whereas” clauses that read in part like passages from a biology textbook. They make several observations that have become controversial of late:

“Men are, on average, bigger, stronger, and faster than females.” Obviously Gov. Pillen here attacks the spectacle of biological men in women’s sports. (The only sport in which “Battles of the Sexes” have ended with a significant number of female wins, is tennis. Even so, the earliest such battles were “handicaps,” with the woman at a 30-Love advantage. Bobby Riggs, who famously lost to Billie Jean King, was 26 years older than King. Worse yet, some have alleged that he threw the match to pay off some gambling debts. Billie Jean King was not one of those accusers; she insisted that Riggs gave the match his best shot(s).)

“Biological differences between the sexes are enduring and may, in some circumstances, warrant the creation of separate social, educational, athletic and other spaces in order to ensure safety and/or to allow members of each sex to succeed and thrive.” Interestingly, one common argument against the “Equal Rights Amendment,” proposed in 1972, was that it would lead to the elimination of separation of the sexes in public bathrooms.

What is a woman?

The governor also referred to “inconsistencies in court rulings and policy initiatives” regarding what is a woman (or a man). This recalls a Senator asking Ketanji Brown Jackson, at her Supreme Court confirmation hearing, what a woman is. She declined to answer. But in Nebraska, everyone will know what a woman is.

Gov. Kevin Stitt (R-Okla.) signed a similar order in Oklahoma on August 1. Note that Independent Women’s Voice (IWV) hosts the Oklahoma EO. The two orders use very similar language, suggesting that both governors sought and got advice from IWV in writing them.

Gen. Mike Flynn, former National Security Adviser, congratulated Gov. Pillen today.

He also embedded this YouTube video to make a further point.