Parents, Families, Friends and Allies united with
LGBTQ people to move equality forward
PFLAG OMAHA ENDS NEWSLETTER;
SWITCHES TO EMAIL MESSAGES
By Bob Dorr
PFLAG Omaha
Newsletter editor
This is the last time you will
receive a PFLAG Omaha
Newsletter in traditional
newsletter format. Email
messages with the PFLAG
Omaha logo on top—one or
two or more a month-- will
take the place of PFLAG’s
monthly newsletter.
ter is that it frees us from a
fixed publication date-permitting us to get information to you sooner. We
can quickly provide details
about a just-planned LGBT
rally or vigil, for example.
From your standpoint, accessing emails will be simpler than accessing our present monthly newsletter--you
can open an email message
with a single click in your directory.
You also are encouraged to
“like” PFLAG Omaha’s Facebook page and the PFLAG
National Facebook page for
up-to-date announcements,
events and press releases.
In actuality, PFLAG has been
gradually switching to email
messages for some time. A
reminder email now goes out
a few days before each
PFLAG Omaha monthly support meeting, for example.
Times change. Once,
PFLAG Omaha printed and
mailed all our monthly newsletters. Now, several hundred
PFLAG Omaha members
and supporters receive
newsletters electronically;
five printed newsletters still
are delivered by mail carrier,
and we are switching those
to the electronic version.
The goal of PFLAG Omaha
remains the same: Do our
best to provide useful Information that keeps readers
informed about PFLAG activities and the LGBT-supportand-rights movement. An advantage of email messages
over our traditional newslet-
I want to thank my co-editor,
Vicki Wiese, for all that she
has done to get the newsletter out and to make it better.
Her technical knowledge
about the internet has been
invaluable, and her ability to
make the newsletter look attractive has been amazing.
July 2016
PFLAG Omaha meets
the 2nd Thursday each month.
Countryside Community Church
8787 Pacific St., Memorial Hall
Truhlsen Community Center Entrance
Helpline: 402.291.6781
(English or Espanol)
www.pflag-omaha.org
UPCOMING EVENTS
Thursday, July 14
PFLAG General Meeting
6:30 pm – Socializing.
6:45 pm – Support.
Sunday, July 17
PFLAG Annual Picnic
2:00 pm – Elmwood Park,
Pad #1, same place as last
year, everyone invited,
Bring a dish to share, more
details Inside.
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Dear Readers,
I would like to thank Bob Dorr, on
behalf of all of us, for the many,
many years of service he has
devoted to creating our newsletter. I know everyone will agree
that we are very fortunate to have
someone with his experience
working so diligently to communicate with our members and
friends.
I want to share with you the bio
that was part of his recognition
upon retirement from the Omaha World Herald.
In
41 years at the Omaha World-Herald, Robert Dorr served as city editor and religion writer
but was most widely known for his skills as a reporter. In 1966, he wrote the first definitive story
about a rising Omaha investment wiz named Warren Buffett. Dorr also wrote an expose of public
financial abuses, covered court-ordered desegregation and reported on many other big stories -railroad mergers, casino gambling, the meatpacking industry and the Franklin Community Credit
Union scandal. A precise writer, his persistent but
disarming style of questioning led him to be called
"the Lieutenant Columbo of newspaper reporters." Dorr retired in 2001. In his honor, the most
prestigious internal award annually at the WorldHerald is named the Bob Dorr Award.
For all of us know and love him he
is a kind, thoughtful and caring
man.
Thank you, Bob, for your efforts!
We wish you every happiness as
you enjoy your "second retirement".
Vicki Wiese
PFLAG OMAHA
Address:
Helpline:
E-mail:
Website:
P.O. Box 390064
Omaha, NE 68139
402.291.6781
info@pflag-omaha.org
www.pflag-omaha.org
PFLAG Omaha is a nonprofit
organization under section 501(c)(3)
of the Internal Revenue Code
OUR VISION
PFLAG envisions a world where
diversity is celebrated and all people are
respected, valued, and affirmed inclusive
of their sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President:
Vice President:
Treasurer:
Secretary:
Other Directors:
Donna Colley
Charlotte Rannells
Carrie Spencer
Joni Stacy
Michele Fischer
Lynne Mytty
Suzanne Doupnik
Stacy Crawford
Luke Pella
Jeff Schamp
VOLUNTEERS
Speakers Bureau:
Library:
Membership:
Help Line:
Supplies:
Graphics Consultant:
Newsletter Editors:
Michele Fischer
Mary Gardner
Larry Landreth
Amy O’Connor
Mary Gardner
Stacy Crawford
Bob Dorr
Vicki Neild Wiese
Please submit articles to:
vneildw@gmail.com or bobcdorr@cox.net
ADVERTISEMENT DISCLAIMER & POLICY
To further our mission of support, education and
advocacy, we accept advertising in our newsletter.
We will refuse any advertisement that we believe is
incompatible with our mission. The presence of an
ad in our newsletter does not constitute endorsement of the advertised company or individual. For
information on PFLAG Omaha’s references for
medical, mental health and legal providers contact
our help line at 402-291-6781 or email info@pflagomaha.org.
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PFLAG OMAHA’S
ANNUAL
GRILL-OUT
PICNIC
Sunday, July 17, 2 pm
Elmwood Park (south of UNO)
Picnic pad #1 (same place as last year)
Bring a side dish, a salad or dessert to share.
PFLAG will provide the main dish, soft drinks and tableware.
ALL ARE INVITED!
Bring your family, friends, members of other LGBT groups.
Relax and have fun. Bring your favorite game to play.
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HEARTLAND PARADE
DRAWS BIGGEST TURNOUT IN BLUFFS
This year’s Heartland Pride celebration drew more parade entries (66) and more people lining the streets
than any time since the parade moved to Council Bluffs several years ago. “This is the best turnout
we’ve had so far in Council Bluffs,” Helen Broadway-Savage of Heartland Pride told The Omaha World
-Herald.
This year’s parade marchers included law enforcement officials. PFLAG Omaha President Joni Stacy
posted the following message on Facebook with the above picture of PFLAG Omaha marchers and law
enforcement officials, taken shortly before the parade started:
“Proud to be marching with PFLAG Omaha in the Heartland Pride Parade. So grateful for the support of
the FBI, Omaha Police Department and the Council Bluffs Police Department. Special shout-out and
thanks to Todd Schmaderer, Omaha police chief (third from left); Randy Thysse, FBI special agent in
charge in Iowa and Nebraska (second from left) and Sandy Breault, also with the FBI (far left). There
were more law enforcement folks who marched, but are not pictured.”
Heartland Pride weekend came two weeks after a gunman killed 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando,
Fla. There was increased security at the Heartland Parade in Council Bluffs and the Festival in Omaha.
Unfortunately the carnage continues with the attack on Istanbul’s Ataturk airport.
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Pope Francis:
Catholics Should Apologize to the LGBT Community
Many have hailed the religious leader's statements as
“a groundbreaking moment” for LGBT people
in reference to “a person in that situation,”
not a physical ailment or
an affliction. “In Italian,
the word condition can
also mean situation,”
according to CNN.
Nico Lang, Advocate.com
Pope Francis believes that
it’s time for Catholics to
apologize to the LGBT community.
Returning from a trip to
Armenia, the Pope spoke
to the press aboard the
papal plane about the recent attack on Orlando’s
Pulse nightclub, the deadliest mass shooting in U.S.
history. Forty-nine people
were killed at the Florida
gay bar. Francis was asked
by reporters about Cardinal
Reinhard Marx’s recent
statement on the tragedy,
in which he blamed the
Roman Catholic Church for being
“very negative about gay people”
throughout its history.
The Pope agreed, adding that the
Vatican should also seek forgiveness
for its failure on women’s rights,
child labor, and gun control.
“I believe that the church not only
should apologize to the person who
is gay whom it has offended,” he
said, “but has to apologize to the
poor, to exploited women, to children exploited for labor; it has to ask
forgiveness for having blessed many
weapons.”
as a “sin.”
“offensive,” but having a “different
mentality” should not be a justification for harm or ill will toward the
LGBT community. “I repeat what the
Catechism of the Catholic Church
says: that they must not be discriminated against, that they must be respected and accompanied pastorally,” he said.
Francis also reiterated his famous
“who am I to judge?” remark from
2013, when he first addressed the
topic of gay rights back in 2013. “The
problem isn't [homosexual] orientation,” he said. “We must be like
brothers and sisters.”
"The church must ask forgiveness for
not behaving many times — when I
say the church, I mean Christians!”
he added. “The church is holy, we are
sinners!"
“The question is: If a person who has
that condition, who has good will,
and who looks for God, who are we
to judge?” the pope added Sunday.
Pope Francis said he is aware that
many cultures and religions find expressions of homosexuality
Rev. Federico Lombardi, a spokesperson for the Vatican, later clarified
that the phrase “that condition” was
Rev. James Martin, who
serves an editor at large
for America magazine,
told the news channel
that the pope’s statement is “a groundbreaking moment” for LGBT
people, who have been
traditionally shunned by
the Catholic Church,
where same-sex relations are often condemned and classified
“While St. John Paul II apologized to
several groups in 2000 — the Jewish
people, indigenous peoples, immigrants and women, among them —
no pope has ever come close to apologizing to the LGBT community,” said
the Jesuit priest.
Martin added that the church is
“correct” in doing so: “No group feels
more marginalized in the church today than LGBT people.”
Pope Francis, who has advocated for
the acceptance of divorced Catholics,
is hailed by many as the most progressive leader in the Vatican’s history. He has repeatedly stressed the
“wholeness and dignity” of LGBT
people in his remarks, telling Italian
journalist Andrea Tornielli in 2016
that “God loves all his creatures.”
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PFLAG National Statement on Attack in Orlando
“As ambassadors of love and hope, PFLAG members will continue to support our extended family
of LGBTQ people, families, and allies through these dark, anxious moments and beyond…”
WASHINGTON, DC—PFLAG National Executive Director Jody Huckaby today reacted to the unprecedented attack in Orlando, FL:
“As details continue to emerge from Orlando, our collective sadness, anger and grief is overwhelming.
Our hearts are with those anxiously awaiting word of the safety of their loved ones, or who are already
trying to cope with the unbearable loss of innocent lives. We thank the many first responders who saved,
and continue to save lives.
PFLAG knows that the effects of this deliberate shooting spree that targeted an LGBTQ nightclub on
Latinx Night will ripple across the country, reviving anxiety and painful emotions for anyone who has
experienced hateful actions themselves or against loved ones because of who they are. We concur with
President Obama’s message: This unprecedented massacre, this act of terror, this act of hate against people who are LGBTQ, was an attack on the fundamental belief in equality and dignity for all people.
At PFLAG, it tragically reminds us that our work is far from over. As ambassadors of love and hope,
PFLAG members will continue to support our extended family of LGBTQ people, families, and allies
through these dark, anxious moments and beyond. Let us join in unity to end violence and hatred."
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402-884-7444
As a safe, welcoming church
for people who are LGBTQ
and their allies, we invite
you to join us as yourself on
Sundays!
2712 South 87th Avenue
Omaha, NE 68124-3045
jws@spsattorneys.com.
www.SPSattorneys.com
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
and Transgender
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Jim Medder, MD, MPH
Board Certified Preventive
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