‘We are all deserving of respect and dignity’: Lincoln’s LGBTQ community speaks out

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Members of the LGBTQ community made their voices heard Monday, with many going to the State Capitol to share their stories with senators.

Abbi Swatsworth of OutNebraska said with some controversial proposals in the Legislature that would affect the LGBTQ community, they want to add more perspectives to the discussion.

“We have some folks from Omaha and some people from Kearney, and Hastings and Lincoln,” she said. “We are all Nebraskans. We are all deserving of respect and dignity, and I would like that to be in line with our state motto, which is ‘Equality before the law.'”

One of the bills they discussed with senators was LB 574, which would prohibit gender-affirming health care for people under 19.

Another was LB 575, which would prohibit athletes from participating in sports designated for the sex opposite of what they were assigned at birth. The same rule would apply to school bathrooms.

Several members of OutNebraska said it’s important to be aware of who your senators are and what’s being voted on.

One of them was Cambria Beirow, a mental health professional who uses they/them pronouns.

“It was actually really nice to meet a senator for the first time that actually represents my district,” Beirow said. “It’s great to actually have representation and to actually show up, and actually show the senators that there are people who do care about this. It’s not just an invisible issue; it’s very visible, very prevalent.”

Sen. George Dungan of Lincoln said hearing from people, rather than looking at numbers on a page, does have an impact on the decisions legislators make.

“Real-life conversations with folks, face-to-face conversations, always has an impact,” he said. “It’s just been fantastic to hear their stories, hear their personal experiences and really get an inside view as to how a lot of the legislation that we’re talking about here in the body actually affects real-life people.”

Dungan said he’s already heard from a number of people with concerns about these bills.

He said people’s mental health is being harmed by the rhetoric surrounding the bills, and it’s making many young people uncomfortable with living in Nebraska.

Some of those young people participated in a walkout at Lincoln Southeast High School on Monday morning.

After marching outside just before 10 a.m., students rallied against those same proposals to draw attention to their concerns.

Lincoln Public Schools says while walkouts aren’t approved by the district, staff monitored students to ensure their safety.

Principal Tanner Penrod said the students remained “peaceful and respectful” during the walkout.

“Together we will guide our students in learning how to express themselves with civility, and in working together for a thriving school and community culture,” he said in a statement.

Students who left for the walkout and returned to the same class were recorded as tardy, but if they left for longer, they were counted absent.

Penrod said normal consequences for tardies and absences will apply.