A little down tonight: Omaha is a difficult place to live as a gay person

That's how I'm finding it.  The cynical action of three city councilpersons today, including one Democrat, has me down.  

And this is coming from someone used to living in Red States, including the state that proudly claims to be the most conservative in the nation -- Oklahoma.

In other towns I've lived, there are employment protections -- Miami, Oklahoma, Fayetteville, Arkansas, Dallas, Texas, and (since I left) Oklahoma City -- that do not exist in Omaha.

Dallas has been claimed by some as the most gay-friendly city in America, despite conservative state politics.  The local politics is very encouraging and the institutions, structures, and cultural activities of the gay and allied communities abound.

In OKC we had our struggles and very little legal improvements, but we were able to elect LGBT and friendly candidates, have a routine public voice in news media, and received lots of good local coverage.  Maybe the most encouraging thing in OKC was the broad coalition we participated in, working alongside the NAACP, LULAC, CAIR, the Jewish Federation, and other organizations representing minorities and labor groups.  And we were very powerful in the state Democrat party -- no Democrat in OKC would have opposed an employment ordinance and expected to be re-elected.

Coming to Omaha, we thought it more progressive, and there were encouraging early signs, but the longer I am here the more depressive the environment seems for LGBT persons.  We are most daily oppressed by adoption and foster care laws even worse than Oklahoma, when having a family was the key goal of our move.

One reason I'm discouraged here is because of the successes elsewhere -- Prop 8 overturned, marriage equality in Washington, and now it passes the senate in New Jersey.  Why am I living in a place where today some made it very clear that I am not wanted when increasingly more cities and states are welcoming?

Comments

[Scott Jones]

Reading in Moltmann's The Crucified God during lunch I was once again reminded why.

And then I read this great article after lunch:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rev-emily-c-heath/trusting-love-over-fear_b_1245990.html?ref=religion&ncid=edlinkusaolp00000008