A Nebraska lawmaker faces backlash for invoking a colleague’s name in a graphic account of rape

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska lawmaker is facing calls to resign after reading a graphic account of rape from a best-selling memoir on the floor of the Legislature in which he repeatedly invoked the name of a fellow lawmaker, making it appear as if that lawmaker was the subject of the assault.

Republican Sen. Steve Halloran, who is known for making audacious remarks on the mic, read an excerpt Monday night from the memoir “Lucky” by Alice Sebold. The book recounts Sebold’s experience of sexual violence when she was 18 years old. While reading a graphic excerpt about rape, Halloran said the name “Sen. Cavanaugh” several times, which appeared to reference Democratic state Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh, a female colleague.

The reading came during debate of a bill that would seek to hold school librarians and teachers criminally responsible for providing what it considers to be “obscene material” to students in grades K-12. Supporters say the bill closes a “loophole” in the state’s existing obscenity laws that prohibit adults from giving such material to minors. Critics say it’s a way for a vocal minority to ban books they don’t like — such as “Lucky” — from school library shelves.

Book bans and attempted bans soared last year in the U.S. Almost half of the challenged books are about communities of color, LGBTQ+ people and other marginalized groups, according to a recent report from the American Library Association. Among the books frequently challenged is Nobel laureate Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye.”

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Halloran on Tuesday morning apologized for repeatedly saying “Sen. Cavanaugh” in his reading the night before, but insisted he was not referring to Machaela Cavanaugh. Instead, he said he sought the attention of Democratic state Sen. John Cavanaugh — Machaela Cavanaugh’s brother who also serves in the Legislature. That explanation did little to temper the firestorm of criticism and calls for his resignation, including from at least one fellow Republican.

Halloran’s remarks drew an immediate emotional response from Machaela Cavanaugh, who was visibly shaking in the immediate aftermath of the Monday night session. That led Speaker of the Legislature Sen. John Arch to cut debate short and adjourn the chamber.

By Tuesday morning, video recordings of Halloran’s speech had made the rounds on social media and a handful of protesters appeared outside Halloran’s office before debate began Tuesday, calling for him to step down.

Lawmakers began the day by addressing Halloran’s reading. Arch apologized “to all the female lawmakers in the body,” and said he was not in the chamber when Halloran read the excerpt. Had he know Halloran planned to do so, Arch said he would have sought to dissuade him.