PFLAG is a national non-profit organization with over 200,000 members and supporters and over 500 affiliates in the United States. PFLAG promotes the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons, their families and friends through: support, to cope with an adverse society; education, to enlighten an ill-informed public; and advocacy, to end discrimination and to secure equal civil rights.
The PFLAG website contains n ews, scholarship information, an index of chapters (including several in Nebraska, Colorado, South Dakota and Wyoming), educational programs, support and coming out information, logo merchandise, and more.
Panhandlediversity.org is a website offering limited space and free web hosting for groups within the Nebraska Panhandle that celebrate diversity and promote acceptance. Their website includes a monthly “Diversity Calendar” as well as information on HIV prevention and outreach, testing and treatment.
HRC has a great website with a wealth of information on just about any GLBT-related topic. It has some excellent educational resources and lots of opportunities to become involved.
This page has some great resources on the coming out process, including a nifty interactive guide on how to become more comfortable talking about GLBT issues:
This Task Force monitors the political climate surrounding GLBT issues, and works to develop grass roots political strength. They also host an annual Creating Change conference - more than 2500 attended this past November.
Here is a direct link to information about campus-related issues:
GLAAD works to eliminate homophobia by promoting fair, accurate and inclusive portrayals of GLTB people and events in the media (movies, television, internet and print media).
GLSEN envisions a future in which every child learns to respect and accept all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. Focus is primarily on K-12 education.
Lambda Legal is a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and those with HIV through impact litigation, education and public policy work.
Lambda Legal has been particularly effectively in using the law and the courts to seek full social and political equality for the GLBT community. Their website is a good source for current news and educational resources, particularly relating to GLBT-related laws and lawsuits.
A help desk is available for people seeking legal information and assistance with discrimination. Nebraska residents would contact the South Central Regional Office, located in Dallas. The phone number is 214-219-8585.
The ACLU has been protecting the civil liberties of Americans since the 1920s, and continues to do so today for GLBT Americans. With offices in nearly every state, the ACLU has more than 500,000 members and handles thousands of lawsuits each year.
The website has a number of free educational materials available, including information on anti-harassment training for schools and the facts v. myths about gay parenting.
NCLR is a national legal resource center committed to advancing the rights and safety of lesbians and their families through a program of litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education.
This is a Nebraska organization advocating for the rights of GLBT families in Nebraska. A speakers bureau is organized in cooperation with PFLAG-Omaha.
The Advocate is a major GLBT newsmagazine, and this is its award-winning news site. In addition to excellent GLBT news coverage, The Advocate covers popular culture like entertainment/celebrity news, movies, television, books, etc.
For many people, religious beliefs play a key role in their feelings about sexuality and sexual orientation. This website, maintained by the Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance, explores these issues with thoughtfulness and evenhandedness.
This is a short excerpt from testimony before the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America’s Committee on Discipline in San Francisco in 1990. The speaker, then a pastor in a Lutheran Church in California, explains how he and his Christian family dealt with their oldest son (himself a devout Christian) coming out as a young gay man. ‘A thoughtful, heartfelt story showing how same-sex orientation and Christianity can be meaningfully reconciled. The speaker was later elected Bishop of the Southern California (West) Synod of the ELCA.
UUs seek to create an open, spiritual community that respects the inherit dignity and worth of each person and supports each individual's personal search for meaning with the goals of creating a world community of acceptance, understanding, and peace.
