Nebraska

Nebraska

Flag of Nebraska

Admittance Order: 37th

Admitted to US: March 1, 1867 (158 years ago)

Governor: Jim Pillen (R )

Lt. Governor: Joe Kelly (R)

Senators: Deb Fischer (R) Pete Ricketts (R) }

Representatives: Mike Flood (R) Don Bacon (R) Adrian Smith (R)

Official State website

Capital: Lincoln

Largest city: Omaha

Resource Guide: RL-NE

This article contains information that may change due to political elections and evolving sexual norms. {This article last updated:05/13/2025)

Nebraska is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwest; and Wyoming to the west. It is the only triply landlocked U.S. state.

Indigenous peoples, including Omaha, Missouria, Ponca, Pawnee, Otoe, and various branches of the Lakota (Sioux) tribes, lived in the region for thousands of years before European exploration. The state is crossed by many historic trails, including that of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Nebraska's area is just over 77,220 square miles (200,000 km2), with a population of over 1.9 million. Its capital is Lincoln, and its largest city is Omaha, which is on the Missouri River. Nebraska was admitted into the United States in 1867, two years after the end of the American Civil War. The Nebraska Legislature is unlike any other American legislature in that it is unicameral, and its members are elected without any official reference to political party affiliation.

Nebraska is composed of two major land regions: the Dissected Till Plains and the Great Plains. The Dissected Till Plains region consists of gently rolling hills and contains the state's largest cities, Omaha and Lincoln. The Great Plains region, occupying most of western Nebraska, is characterized by treeless prairie. Nebraska has two major climatic zones. The eastern two-thirds of the state has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa); a unique warmer subtype considered "warm-temperate" exists near the southern plains, which is analogous to that in Kansas and Oklahoma, which have a predominantly humid subtropical climate. The Panhandle and adjacent areas bordering Colorado have a primarily semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). The state has wide variations between winter and summer temperatures, variations that decrease moving south within the state. Violent thunderstorms and tornadoes occur primarily during spring and summer and sometimes in autumn. Chinook wind tends to warm the state significantly in the winter and early spring.

Etymology

Nebraska's name is the result of anglicization of the archaic Otoe words Ñí Brásge, pronounced [ɲĩbɾasꜜkɛ] (contemporary Otoe Ñíbrahge), or the Omaha Ní Btháska, pronounced [nĩbɫᶞasꜜka], meaning "flat water", after the Platte River which flows through the state.

Sexual Orientation in Nebraska

Legal Status and Protections

• Same-Sex Sexual Activity: Legal since 1978.
• Same-Sex Marriage: Recognized statewide since the U.S. Supreme Court's 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges.

Employment and Housing Protections: Following the 2020 Supreme Court ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County, discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in employment is prohibited nationwide, including in Nebraska. The Nebraska Equal Opportunity Commission has also extended this interpretation to housing discrimination.

Public Accommodations: Protections vary by locality. Omaha prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in public accommodations. Other cities, such as Grand Island and Lincoln, have more limited protections. Wikipedia

Local Ordinances and Municipal Protections

While Nebraska lacks comprehensive statewide anti-discrimination laws covering sexual orientation and gender identity, several municipalities have enacted their ordinances:

• Omaha: Prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment and public accommodations.
• Bellevue: Includes both sexual orientation and gender identity in its non-discrimination policies.
• Grand Island and Lincoln: Offer protections based on sexual orientation in public employment; Lincoln's broader ordinance was rescinded in 2022 following a petition drive.

Hate Crime Laws

Nebraska's hate crime statute, enacted in 1997, includes sexual orientation among protected categories. Notably, in 2016, the Nebraska Supreme Court upheld a hate crime conviction in a case where the victim was targeted due to his association with gay friends, affirming that the law extends protections to those associated with protected groups.

Conversion Therapy

Conversion therapy aimed at changing an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity is banned for minors in Lincoln. However, no statewide prohibition exists, and efforts to enact such a ban have faced legislative hurdles.

History of the Nebraska Flag

The Nebraska State Flag features a blue background with the Great Seal of Nebraska emblazoned in gold at the center. The Great Seal of the State of Nebraska, which was adopted in 1867, features a river and a green field in front of a mountainous backdrop. A train rides across the seal in the background in front of the mountains, while a steamboat rides across the river. The train represents transportation, while the steamboat signifies commerce. The river depicted represents the Missouri River. A cabin is positioned on the green field with several sheaves of harvested wheat and a blacksmith toiling away at an anvil with a hammer. The cabin and wheat represent early agriculture settlers to the state, while the blacksmith pays tribute to the industrial development of the state. Above the mountains, a waving banner reads, "Equality Before the Law." Surrounding the seal in a circular formation is bold text that reads, "Great Seal of the State of Nebraska, March 1st, 1867." The Nebraska flag was adopted on July 16, 1963, making Nebraska one of the last states to establish an official flag.

Nebraska is located in the Midwest region of the United States of America. It shares borders with Wyoming, Kansas, Colorado, Iowa, Missouri, and South Dakota. The capital of Nebraska is Lincoln, while the largest city in the state is Omaha. Lincoln was formerly known as Lancaster until it was renamed in honor of President Lincoln. Nebraska is referred to as "The Cornhusker State" in reference to its agriculture. It earned this nickname in 1945; before that, Nebraska was referred to as "The Tree Planters State" in respect to the millions of trees that were planted by early Nebraska settlers.

Nebraska was first inhabited by Native American tribes, including the Omaha, Pawnee, Missouria, Ponca, Otoe, and Lakota. The first European to explore the land was the Spanish explorer Francisco de Coronado, who claimed the territory for Spain in 1541. In 1682, the French explorer Robert Cavalier arrived in the area and claimed the land for France.

Throughout the years, the land of Nebraska was a source of conflict among the British, French, and Spanish. In 1803, Nebraska became a territory of the United States of America as a result of the Louisiana Purchase. In 1804, American explorers Lewis and Clark traveled through Nebraska, reporting the state's flat plains and the herds of bison that called Nebraska home. In 1819, the Fort Atkinson army post was established, and in 1823, the first permanent settlement, a small trading post that became Bellevue (the oldest city in Nebraska), was established. In 1854, the territory of Nebraska was created, and people rapidly began to move here as they were entitled to free land in the area. As people moved to the area of Nebraska, the Native American tribes that once inhabited the area were soon pushed out. Nebraska officially gained statehood as the 37th state in the United States on March 1st, 1867.

External links

Wikipedia article: Nebraska

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