Her bill (LB627) would add sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of prohibited reasons for discrimination in employment. The bill was debated in 2019 and passed over after failing to reach a vote after three hours.

Pansing Brooks has reprioritized LB627 so that it will return for debate this session. 

With endorsements from the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and other local chambers, and a majority of senators who will vote for it, there was too much momentum to let it die, Pansing Brooks said.

Several people spoke at the rally in the Rotunda, including Pansing Brooks, Omaha Sen. Megan Hunt and Kayla Meyer, coordinator of the Lincoln Young Professionals group and representing the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce.

Pansing Brooks told those gathered they should feel loved and not be diminished by the opinions of others.

"It is not up to others to judge love," she said. 

As a mom, she understands liberation and being able to come out as the person each one is authentically, she said. That authenticity gives people strength and courage to move forward and to stand up, recognize they are loved and feel the embrace of those around them. 

What worries her most in this country, she said, are those that use religious liberty and protections as a sword toward people who don't agree with them, rather than as a shield. 

Hunt, who identifies as bisexual, asked how it is that she is good enough to make laws that affect everyone in the state, but not good enough to be out about whom she loves. 

She asked those assembled to keep spreading the word about what is needed in Nebraska for full equality, in the workplace, housing, access to services, parental rights, all things that need to improve. 

"People do not want to live in a state with legalized discrimination," she said. "This is the first step. This is called the bare minimum, and this is what I expect of my colleagues."

Meyer said fairness and equal treatment are essential for a welcoming economy and are the basis of anti-discrimination laws. 

Work and merit should serve as the basis of reward, not factors such as race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity, she said. 

"Business thrives when we have the best talent available in Nebraska," Meyer said. 

Abbi Swatsworth, executive director of OutNebraska, which sponsored the rally, has lived in Nebraska more than 30 years. 

"Now is the time to pass LB627," she said. "Retaining and attracting young talented workers is a top priority in keeping Nebraska's business ecosystem growing and thriving." 

The Rev. Oscar Sinclair, of the Unitarian Church of Lincoln, said LB627 is not complicated or a particularly long bill. But there is a moral reason to pass the bill now. 

Each person has inherent worth and dignity, he said, and this is not a negotiable position. It's one that faiths around the world share. All life is interconnected, and somehow all tied together. 

"For some strange reason, I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be," he said. "And you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be."