Nebraska State Senator Megan Hunt, one of three lawmakers who ground legislative business in the state to a halt with a months-long filibuster protesting an anti-trans bill, has filed a defamation lawsuit against a far-right lobbying group that accused her of being a “groomer.”

“These malicious and false lies about Hunt had vicious consequences,” the complaint states, and made her fear for her and her child’s physical safety.

The suit is centered on posts tweeted out in March by the Nebraska Freedom Coalition, which called Hunt, the first out bisexual member of Nebraska’s legislative assembly, a “groomer,” and included childhood photos of her now 13-year-old transgender son. The right-wing organization has been active in formulating anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in the state.

...“After the Coalition’s posts accusing Hunt of abusing and grooming her child, she was called a groomer on Twitter no fewer than 231 times. She received 25 phone calls calling her a groomer and/or pedophile, and 34 emails accusing her of the same and often unfit to be a mother. One email suggested that Hunt’s genitalia should be cut off and threatened physical harm. Another indicated that she should be publicly executed while another provided her home address and stated her son should be kidnapped.”

Hunt shared that her son was transgender during the headline-grabbing filibuster just days before the defamatory tweets.