A Republican state lawmaker in Nebraska was under fire for mentioning two Democrats while reading a graphic rape scene to make a point about explicit content in school-sanctioned books. This has sparked calls for his resignation.
During a debate on Monday regarding legislation aimed at tightening restrictions on book content in schools, State Senator Steve Halloran read a passage from the book “Lucky” by Alice Sebold, which detailed a sexual assault. He inserted the names of his Democratic colleagues, Machaela Cavanaugh and John, into the text while reading it out loud.
After finishing the reading with his interjections, Ms. Cavanaugh tearfully responded, calling it unnecessary harassment that undermined the integrity of the legislation being debated.
Mr. Halloran apologized the next day but stood by his actions, claiming he intended to draw attention to explicit content being read in schools and initially directed his comments at Mr. Cavanaugh.
Several lawmakers condemned Mr. Halloran’s remarks, with one Republican state senator calling for his resignation. Protesters outside the State Capitol also demanded his resignation.
State Senator John Arch, a Republican and speaker of the legislature, apologized to Ms. Cavanaugh and female lawmakers, urging more civility and wisdom in legislative debates.
