A Letter From The President

 Bob Dorr, PFLAG Omaha

 Posted on March 21, 2005

When the Rev. V. Gene Robinson became the first openly gay man in the Episcopal Church to be elected bishop, PFLAGers rejoiced—whether we are Episcopalians, Lutherans, Roman Catholics, Jews or atheists.

If there is a Rosa Parks of the gay movement, that person might be Bishop Robinson. His election as New Hampshire’s bishop in 2003 stirred enormous controversy in the worldwide Anglican Communion, and it brought us closer to full equality for everyone in our religious faith traditions.

Omaha PFLAG welcomes the chance to get an update on events in the national Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion since Bishop Robinson’s election. We are privileged to have Nebraska Bishop Joe G. Burnett as our speaker at our April 14 meeting.

Bishop Burnett, the son of a Methodist minister who was born in Jackson, Miss., grew up in the racial turbulence of the deep South in the 1950s and 1960s. He was raised in a home where his parents modeled respect and tolerance for all.

He became bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska in 2003.

Come at 6:30 p.m. on April 14 for coffee and socializing. Our support-sharing time will start at 7 p.m., with our program at 8 p.m. Our meetings are in the comfortable confines of Mead Hall at the west end of First United Methodist Church, 7020 Cass St.

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Susan Koenig has been elected grand marshal of this year’s Nebraska Pride Parade. The 20th anniversary parade will take the same route as last year (north on 10th Street and west on Jackson Street to 16th Street) on June 11.

Susan is a respected Omaha attorney. She has a broadly based practice with special expertise in gay-lesbian-bisexual and transgender issues. She is an Omaha PFLAG member who speaks as a member of our Safe Schools panels at college classes and community groups.

Congratulations, Susan!

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On the political front, we have taken one step forward and one step backward in the Nebraska Legislature.

We had high hopes for Legislative Bill 627, the anti-bullying bill, but that bill has gotten stuck in the Education Committee. We’re not certain the bill will make it out of committee this session.

On the positive side, State Sen. Ernie Chambers has prioritized his bill (LB 759) to prohibit employment discrimination based upon sexual orientation.

Priority designation doesn’t guarantee a bill will be passed or even debated. It does place LB 759 among a group of bills that the senators have designated as the most significant issues this session.

Bob Dorr, Omaha PFLAG president