The Lincoln city council will vote whether or not to rescind the Title 11 ordinance on Monday, June 13th. The ordinance would explicitly provide LGBTQ+ protections. Rescinding the ordinance would allow advocates to discuss how best to move forward but also leaves a question about how the Lincoln Human Rights Commission would hear cases on discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodation.
Every person in Lincoln should be able to live, work and play freely, openly and without the fear of discrimination. OutNebraska continues to both be committed to that goal and to our belief that the best path forward is the one that has support from the widest range of voices within the LGBTQ+ community.
The last few months have taken an incredible toll on Lincoln’s LGBTQ+ community — both individuals and the community as a whole. While this decision is in the hands of the city council, we hope they will recognize the diversity of our community and seek many perspectives before making any future decisions.
A united LGBTQ+ community must be as important as specific policy goals. We need friends, family and neighbors who will support us — at the ballot box, in the schools, in our everyday lives, and beyond — every day. We need to stand together in this work and prepare for a fight if necessary; committing ourselves to educating those who don’t know or misunderstand their LGBTQ+ neighbors.
Our goal for the coming months continues to be building strength inside our community and support around us. It’s important that we take the time to have open and honest dialogue. We are planning a series of community conversations to address how OutNebraska can best engage in this work. Information regarding our first meeting will be available on our website event calendar at outnebraska.org once a date has been set.