OutNebraska

"Are there 'safe space' stickers? Are there ways for students to recognize that this is a place where they can feel safe and included?" Manhart asked. "Those things we can often overlook, because they feel very small, but they are really important for students to feel like they are safe in the classroom space."

Check out this story about LGBTQ+ students and the back to school season, featuring Isa, a community member and future educator who was an active advocate for LGBTQ+ rights in the 2023 and 2024 legislative session. We're so proud of their work to improve the education landscape for gay and transgender students.

NE schools play huge role in safety, well-being, rights of LGBTQ+ students As the new school year starts, Nebraska teachers will again be focusing on their students' emotional well-being and safety as well as academic success. For some students who identify as LGBTQ+, it will be especially important. On the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's's 2023 Youth Risk Beh...

🗳🇺🇸 LGBTQ+ Americans are an increasingly influential voting bloc, wielding more electoral power than ever before. Help us prepare Nebraskans to vote ahead of the 2024 election! We're looking for volunteers in Omaha and Lincoln to staff our National Voter Registration Day booths at several locations.

Volunteers will be assigned a time and location and receive training on voter registration procedures. Sign up to volunteer with us and : https://bit.ly/VoterRegDayOutNE24

Happy Labor Day! 💪 Did you know that gay and transgender workers face many unique health challenges but are more likely to hold employment that doesn’t offer them any paid sick leave?

We’re working to ensure ALL Nebraskans to have access to paid sick leave when they need it. With paid sick leave on the ballot this November, it’s time to make a plan to vote. Learn more: https://paidsickleavefornebraskans.org

Every year, El Centro de las Americas hosts the Latino Festival in Lincoln! 🎉 We're excited to be tabling at the 2024 festival and we're seeking 4-6 volunteers to help us staff the OutNebraska booth.

➡️ First shift: 1-4pm
➡️ Second shift: 4-7:30pm

You’ll talk to attendees, help them connect with OutNebraska and share resources about the upcoming election. Volunteers who speak Spanish are especially helpful for this event. Tag a friend who might be interested and sign up here: https://bit.ly/LatinoFestOutNE24

Yesterday, Nebraska Coalition To End Sexual And Domestic Violence presented our team with the Visionary Voice award and treated us to lunch! We're so honored by this recognition and ongoing partnership to empower survivors and advance violence prevention efforts across communities. Thank you for highlighting our mission and collaborating on such crucial work in Nebraska.

We're looking forward to three days of LGBTQ+ cinema this fall. Don't miss The Prairie Pride Film Festival this October.

This October, the Prairie Pride Film Festival will return for its BIGGEST year yet. 🍿 We're excited to bring screenings of independent LGBTQ+ films to three cities across Nebraska—Lincoln, Hastings and Omaha. Be sure to mark your calendar and stay tuned for updates. P.S. Tag a film buff who won't want to miss this event!

Today, our board and staff gathered in Omaha to connect, review our strategic plan and learn about nonprofit board management from our guest speaker Jason Varga (Cause Collective). It’s not often that our board members from Hastings, Kearney, Omaha and Lincoln all get to be in the same room, so we are grateful to everyone who took time to be here and make this special day happen. 💜🏳️‍🌈

"This announcement comes only months after Nebraska senators introduced bills targeting diversity and inclusion efforts in public institutions. A clear pattern has emerged across our nation's university systems, including in Nebraska."

Everyone deserves to feel welcomed, supported and safe in Nebraska.

In light of this troubling news from UNL, we encourage you to stay up to date on LGBTQ+ issues in Nebraska and join our email list: https://bit.ly/lookoutnebraska

Pillen applauds closure of UNL diversity office; advocates call move 'troubling' Gov. Jim Pillen, a former NU regent who voted to hire UNL's chief diversity officer, said Wednesday the Office of Diversity and Inclusion should "never have been established."

Combining counseling and quit medication can double your chance of successfully quitting to***co! Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW to talk with a coach and see if you’re eligible for a free quitting starter kit through the Nebraska To***co Quitline.

📣 Volunteer call! We're seeking volunteers to join us at our Norfolk Area Pride booth on September 7.

As a tabling volunteer, you'll hand out informational materials about OutNebraska, encourage folks to join our network and chat with attendees.

Sign up to volunteer: https://bit.ly/NorfolkPrideOutNE2024

Have you subscribed to OutNebraska's biweekly email newsletter? Signing up is the easiest way to stay up to date on all things LGBTQ+ in Nebraska, including volunteer opportunities, events, advocacy action items and important policy updates.

Join our list: https://bit.ly/lookoutnebraska

See you online! 👋💜

“The need for a ‘decentralized approach’ from Chancellor Bennett concerns us,” said Abbi Swatsworth, executive director for OutNebraska.

“His suggestion that a welcoming environment will come about simply by instructing staff and faculty to ‘welcome all students’ is unconvincing. We know this work requires the same care and attention that keeps any university initiative running: staff, funding and institutional support."

If this news concerns you, we encourage you to join us for Volunteer: Help Out Nebraska tomorrow night at The Foundry Community. We'll be discussing back to school advocacy and how to stay engaged.

Read our full statement on UNL's closure of the diversity and inclusion office: https://outnebraska.org/unl-announces-closure-of-office-of-diversity-and-inclusion-outnebraska-responds/

If you're looking for a way to support LGBTQ+ Nebraskans, listen in! Help Out Nebraska, our monthly volunteer hours, are back for the fall and winter.

Join us at The Foundry Community this Thursday, August 22 from 6-8pm to learn all about advocacy for the back to school season. We'll be discussing school boards and how to get involved at the local level. Let's get ready to go back to school with pride! 🍎💜

Sign up to join us: https://bit.ly/HelpOutNebraska

We’re looking forward to another season of Omaha Table Talks. Join us for the kickoff this Wednesday!

Meet the rest of our community partners joining us in dialogue this upcoming Omaha Table Talk season!

🤝🏻 Omaha Alternatives to Violence Project
🤝🏼 Nebraska Asian Pacific American Leadership Alliance
🤝🏽 Native American Community Partnership of Omaha Metro Area (NACPOMA)
🤝🏿 OutNebraska

🗓 Wednesday, August 21, 2024
⏱ 5:30 - 8:00 p.m.
📍 Metropolitan Community College, Fort Campus, Building 10 (3000 N 30th St, Omaha, NE 68111)
🍛The Churro Truck & Proper Plant food trucks

Register at https://tinyurl.com/4cxd5v2k.

Lincoln friends: help make Lincoln an aging-friendly city! All are welcome to attend this community listening session on Wednesday, August 21.

RSVP at go.unl.edu/age_friendly_rsvp

The session will take place at 600 S. 70th St, Building 2 from 4:30-6:30pm.

Get ready to discuss our August book club title, "Legends and Lattes" by Travis Baldree. As summer winds down, this cozy, comforting fantasy read is perfect to set the tone for fall.

Sign up to join us via Zoom on Tuesday, August 20: https://bit.ly/OutNEBookClub24

📸: Travis Baldree - Narrator/Author

Many Nebraskans, not just LGBTQ+ residents, rely on DHHS programs. Make your voice heard today! ⬇️

Today, we need you to speak up on behalf of our state’s most vulnerable children and families.

❌LB2, which is up for debate TODAY, would irresponsibly cut more than $40 million from DHHS’s budget.

If passed, this bill would negatively impact sustainable funding for programs like SNAP and child care subsidies that help Nebraska families and workers make ends meet. During a time of ever-increasing costs, essential programs and services like these become more critical every day.

TAKE ACTION: Email your senator NOW and tell them to OPPOSE LB2: neappl.es/NoOnLB2

Drastic budget cuts like those proposed in LB2 would significantly impact our state’s ability to serve communities throughout Nebraska

Make your voice heard during this special session and contact your senator today!

Today, the Legislature begins debate on LB34, into which key components of LB1 (the tax increase bill) have been amended.

LB34 would create 70+ new taxes on everyday goods and services – such as hair care, veterinary services, local transportation, moving services, and storage services – that will disproportionately impact hardworking, everyday Nebraskans – particularly individuals and families trying to survive on lower or fixed incomes.

Hardworking Nebraskans deserve more than a few weeks of the Legislature’s time to consider a tax proposal that shifts the financial burden of funding our state to middle- and low-income families.

🚨Contact your senator NOW and tell them to OPPOSE LB34!
https://bit.ly/NElegSenator

It’s time for ALL Nebraskans to have access to paid sick leave to take care of themselves and their families without retaliation from their employers. Paid Sick Leave for Nebraskans WILL officially be on the November ballot. 👀

Check your voter registration so that you don’t miss out on your chance to vote for paid sick leave!
bit.ly/CheckRegNE

📸 by Rebecca S. Gratz

Do you know a college level social media extraordinaire interested in film and LGBTQ+ issues? Send them our way! We’re hiring a Marketing Intern to support The Prairie Pride Film Festival.

We’re seeking someone with:

💜 Strong copywriting and social media skills
🎬 Experience working in Google Suite (Docs, Drive, etc)
📈 Experience/coursework in marketing, communications or PR

To apply, please submit a resume, copywriting samples and two references to [email protected] by August 21.

More info: https://outnebraska.org/now-hiring-marketing-intern/

Be ready to by October 25! Register to vote today: 🔗 https://bit.ly/RegisterToVoteOutNE

☑️ Oct 18: Last day to register online, by mail or dropbox
☑️ Oct 25: Last day to register in-person and to request an absentee ballot
☑️ Nov 5: Election Day!

Are you a teacher, educator, or someone who works with school-age children? As schools resume and students come back to school, here are some resources on e-cigarettes that might be helpful;
cdc.gov/e-cigarettes

OutNebraska is hiring a part-time Marketing Intern to support The Prairie Pride Film Festival this year!

The Marketing Intern will support the Communications Manager to create and execute a marketing and promotion plan for the festival, assisting with social media, copywriting and project management.

We're seeking someone with:

💜 Strong copywriting and social media skills
🎬 Experience working in Google Suite (Docs, Drive, etc)
📈 Experience/coursework in marketing, communications or PR

To apply, please submit a resume, copywriting samples and two references to [email protected] by August 21.

Learn more: https://outnebraska.org/now-hiring-marketing-intern/

Yesterday, we said goodbye to our Development Manager, Paige. Since joining us in February of 2023, Paige has been an indispensable member of the team, always keeping us steady and even-keeled through good and bad. Now, we hope you will join us in wishing Paige the best of luck as she heads off to Oregon to attend law school! Farewell, Paige. 💜🏳️‍🌈

PDX ✈️ OMA: The OutNebraska team is safely back home in the Cornhusker state after attending the Equality Federation Institute Leadership Conference in Portland, Oregon!

During our stay in the Rose City, we connected with other state-based equality organizations, funders and subject-matter experts to sharpen our advocacy and education efforts on behalf of all LGBTQ+ Nebraskans. To all our old and new friends at the Fed, see you next year in Madison! 👋

It’s day three of the Equality Federation Institute Leadership Conference and we’re soaking it all up. 🏳️‍🌈 See you soon, Nebraska!

Let's extend a warm OutNebraska welcome to Tayden, our new Development Manager!

Tayden holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Nebraska. With a background in nonprofit fundraising and marketing, he is looking forward to forging new community connections on behalf of OutNebraska.

In his free time, Tayden enjoys outdoor activities like hiking, camping and boating. His favorite time of year is fall and he's a big fun of pumpkin patches, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and football. 🍂🎃

Our favorite fun fact about Tayden: he is a founding member of the local drag king group, Crush, and performed as TJ Romance! We're so excited to have him on board. Welcome, Tayden!

We'll say it again–bans off ALL bodies. We're disappointed in today's decision from the Nebraska Supreme Court, but this isn't the end.

Read our full statement: https://outnebraska.org/nebraska-supreme-court-says-transgender-care-restrictions-and-12-week-abortion-ban-will-remain-in-effect/

Portland—prepare for that "Nebraska nice!" The OutNebraska team will be out of office next week to attend the annual Equality Federation Institute Leadership Conference.

We can't wait to reconnect with national partners and other state-based advocates to learn, talk strategy and celebrate our wins. We'll be returning to office Monday, August 5. See you soon! 👋