Megan Hunt doesn’t want to be your Democratic hero. She just wants to protect her trans son.

“I don’t like you.” Nebraska state Sen. Megan Hunt said that to Republicans in March, as she filibustered legislation that would ban gender-affirming treatment for minors like her son, Ash Homan. “You aren’t a safe person for my child to be around — or any child, frankly.”

That standoff dragged on for months, burning time that the GOP majority and a new governor expected to spend passing their agenda. It ended this week, when Republicans added a 12-week abortion ban to the bill and broke the filibuster. Hunt talked with Semafor...