HRC Blog

HRCs Religion and Faith Program has been exploring the concept of acceptance in the first few bus stops. In addition to our Pathways to Acceptance forums, Sharon Groves, HRC’s Religion and Faith Program Director, spoke this Sunday at First-Plymouth Congregational Church about the spiritual discipline of acceptance. Sharon asked the congregation to think about acceptance as a life-long process rather than one time destination.

In the room as panelists and audience members were politicians, school teachers, religious leaders, pediatricians, principles, school board members, hospital providers, the mayor and former mayor, social workers and much more. This was a powerhouse of community leaders coming together across profession, religion, and background to strategize how to make acceptance the cornerstone of life in Omaha.

Last night we hosted 150 people talking about the state of the LGBT movement today. It’s true that in some ways we’re at a tipping point for equality but that doesn’t always feel like the case in places like Nebraska where there are no significant statewide protections for our community. The mood in the room was hopeful though, especially as we discussed the imminent end of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” next month and how Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson was a key vote in favor of repeal.

The bus will travel to Nebraska for events in both Omaha and Lincoln, in partnership with Citizens for Equal Protection, Nebraska’s state-wide LGBT equality organization. Events will include everything from educational seminars on legal documents for families to community forums about family acceptance to participating in the University of Nebraska’s “Big Red Welcome."

After a great weekend of conversations, events, and fun, our bus rolled out of Salt Lake City last night. There is no doubt that we achieved our goals of raising awareness of LGBT equality in Utah and empowering Utah’s LGBT community to be advocates for themselves and their families. It was touching to see the number of people who came out to join us in support of fairness and equality.