Testimony by Rev. Debra McKnight, Urban Abbey United Methodist Church

In opposition to LB 374 and LB 71, January 31, 2023

My name is Debra McKnight and I have served in Omaha since 2007 as a United Methodist Pastor. I am here to whole-heartedly object to LB 374 and LB 71. I believe these bills are rooted in fear and seek to control others rather than support their wellbeing. Censorship will not make our history of racism easier to understand. Censorship will not make our young LGBTQIA+ students feel welcome, healthy and whole. Censorship will not prevent sexual violence, harassment and harm. Censorship restricts students from the research and information they may need to be their most healthy selves in the world. As a pastor, I serve young people who do not fit into the long maintained boxes of gender and sexuality, the more young people can learn researched based, age appropriate understandings around gender and sexuality the healthier they will be. The young people in my congregation are deeply passionate about equity and justice; censorship will not be successful.

I am grateful for teachers and school librarians. They are able to to make wise choices with age appropriate content for students to engage meaningful conversations about community and identity. Often at great personal expense, teachers provide researched and award winning books that will inspire kids to read, dream and be their very best. To add unnecessary burdens to our educators is complete foolishness. Such laws have already passed win Florida and countless images of empty bookshelves should be a warning to us, not an inspiration for new legal practices.

Parents already have ample ways to participate in the education of there children. I am with my daughter weekly at school, I know her teachers and value the communication we share. As a Christian, I want my daughter to learn peace making, as a former history teacher I know much of our studies center on war, last year her class visited the SAC museum. I was able to decide if she should go and what kinds of conversations we would have about war planes on display. I can make a choice about that activity but I would never dream of prohibiting her classmates. This bill is not protecting my parental rights, it is limiting the education of my child. My husband and I are grateful our Daughter is in a district with comprehensive health standards and libraries that include many books I have seen banned in Southern States. We are glad the teachers are able to find her books that she loves about every topic from Presidents to Physics, in age-appropriate books at every grade. Children need to read stories where a prince runs away with a prince, they need to see families with two moms and they need to know proper terms for their anatomy and identity not only as a form of protection but as a way of understanding their worth. Students need to hear the story of Rosa Parks and Ruby Bridges. Students need the stories of the Holocaust, American Slavery, and colonialism; they need to explore the complex history of our nation. Learning and asking questions and making change for all people to live a better life is patriotic. Failing to give young people the information they need is negligence.

Passing these bills would be a symbol of our collective failure to act in the face to mis-information and fear-mongering and it risks the well-being of children across our state. I have worked with LGBTQIA+ students through my Masters in Curriculum and Instruction as well as through my past 14 years as a pastor and I believe proactive conversations save lives, when young people begin to sense they don’t fit into the norms they see, they do not think the culture has a cis-gender heterosexist bias they begin to think something is wrong with them. As a pastor, I grieve this pattern every time I am trusted with a sacred story. Young people deserve better. 

These discussions are absolute foolishness. This is a time when we should be tripling our budget for public schools, reducing our class sizes and making the public school buildings beacons of welcome, warmth and care. Finally if you pass this bill I hope Murman, Albrecht, Brewer, Clements, Erdman, Halloran, Hansen, Holdcroft, Lippincott, Moser and any other supporters are required to do all of the data entry it would require of our school systems. 

(If you are interested in learning more about these bills and how to advocate for our public schools, feel free to reach out to Manager@TheUrbanAbbey.Org)