A Nebraska lawmaker is sparking outrage after reading a rape scene in a book

A Republican state lawmaker in Nebraska wanted to make a point about explicit content in school-approved books. But his decision to name two Democrats during the reading of a graphic rape scene has led to calls for his resignation.

During a debate Monday on legislation that would tighten restrictions on the contents of books used in schools, the lawmaker, Sen. Steve Halloran, read a passage from a book he said is in more than a dozen public libraries across the state could be found. .

The passage from the book, Alice Sebold’s memoir “Lucky,” described a sexual assault she experienced as a young woman. After giving a brief warning and asking parents to tell their young children to leave the room or mute the broadcast if they were watching online, Mr. Halloran stood on the floor of the State Capitol in Lincoln. and inserted the names of two of his Democratic colleagues. – Machaela Cavanaugh and her brother, John – in the text as he read it aloud.

At one point, he inserted “Senator Cavanaugh” as he read a passage in which Ms. Sebold described a man who demanded oral sex from her. It was not clear whether Mr. Halloran meant Mr. or Mrs. Cavanaugh.

Shortly after Mr. Halloran finished reading the passage with his interjections, Ms. Cavanaugh responded, tearfully calling his change to the passage unnecessary harassment that damaged the integrity of the legislation they were debating.

“Let’s have a real conversation,” she said to Mr. Halloran. “But don’t start reading rape scenes and saying my name over and over again. You know nothing about anyone else’s life and I can tell you that women in this body have been victims of sexual violence. I didn’t know you were capable of such cruelty.”

Afterwards, lawmakers adjourned the session prematurely. Mrs. Cavanaugh too posted about the incident on Xcalled it “gross, disrespectful and beneath the Nebraska Unicameral.”

Mr. Halloran apologized in a speech at the Capitol on Tuesday morning. But he also defended his comments, saying he did not mean to “trivialize” sexual violence and that he wanted to draw attention to explicit content read in schools. He added that his comments were initially directed at Mr. Cavanaugh. He mentioned the names of Mr. Cavanaugh and his sister, he argued Tuesday, because he felt they were not paying attention as he spoke.

“I apologize for interjecting the names of senators during the reading of a transcript – transcribed testimony at a public hearing with reference to a book that is required reading in some schools,” Mr. Halloran said.

He added, “Should I have interjected the senators’ names? No. Sometimes we do things on the floor and make a statement that we shouldn’t have done.”

A handful of state lawmakers in Nebraska quickly condemned his comments. One Republican senator, Julie Slama, called for Mr. Halloran’s resignation. On Tuesday, a group of protesters echoed those calls during demonstrations outside his office at the state Capitol.

“Interjecting a colleague’s name is far beyond the decency of a professional workplace,” Ms. Slama said in an interview. She called his apology “one of the most half-hearted, ingenious excuses I have ever seen.”

Mr. Halloran, Ms. Cavanaugh and Mr. Cavanaugh did not respond to requests for comment.

Mr. Halloran, the former president of the National Farmers Organization, a lobbying group for farmers, has served in the state Legislature since 2016.

During his time in office, he has largely aligned himself with the far-right flank of Nebraska politics, particularly in the area of ​​education. In 2017, he was one of a handful of senators to oppose a change that would have required schools to accommodate breastfeeding students. Later that year, a confrontation occurred at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln between a faculty member and a student involved with Turning Point USA, a conservative student group. Mr Halloran sided with the student, saying the university was hostile to conservatives on campus.

Senator John Arch, a Republican who chairs the Legislature, apologized Tuesday to Ms. Cavanaugh and the body’s female lawmakers, calling for more civility and “wisdom” when debating legislation.

“I do not condone the reading of the graphic rape scene in the workplace of the Legislature, nor do I personally condone referring that passage to another member or members of this Legislature, even if it is to make a point to make,” said Mr. Arch. “Despite the R-rating warning, we don’t know who is watching and listening on the other side of the television screen – especially children whom this bill is intended to protect, not to mention survivors of sexual violence.”