This is a pro-goat newsletter
The Good Life? Vol. 1, No. 3
Hi,
Welcome to the third installment of my column for paid subscribers in which I talk about good and not-so-good things happening in Nebraska. If you missed the first one, I explain the concept in more detail there.
Tynan Stewart
This week I'm writing about how the Plains Sentinel won't stop targeting libraries, the complete mess that is Nebraska's U.S. Senate race, and goats. (Yes, goats. That's the only hint you get.)
I meant to send this out yesterday, but then I did other life stuff instead. Like going to concerts and staying out too late. Now I feel like death. Is this what getting old feels like?
If you're not already a paid subscriber, you can sign-up to read this and all future posts:
Paying for the newsletter helps keep it sustainable. All the other stuff I publish, including the weekly events calendar and coverage of the local arts scene, is free! This is an extra bonus and a thank-you to the people generous enough to support me.
~ Ty
P.S. Please send me things I should write about. Or just tell me how wrong I am about something. Whatever works. My email is tynanstewart@proton.me
Not The Good Life: The war on Pride continues
A few weeks ago I highlighted the really vicious blowback from right-wing media to Gere Library's (extremely innocuous) Pride month display. In the aftermath, the Plains Sentinel, a local conservative blog, tried to continue capitalizing on that outrage, this time with a piece about a queer history display in Omaha's Central Library. And that sucks. Library workers have enough problems without having to field angry phone calls from homophobic chuds.
There's a predictable formula to these stories. Seek a comment from a far-right lawmaker (in this case, State Senator Kathleen Kauth). Mention the possibility that kids could theoretically encounter the displays (and imply that it's somehow a problem).
But this time, in the process of trying to frame the exhibit as a newsworthy scandal, the Plains Sentinel managed to accidentally highlight Omaha's queer history and make it sound cool:
The exhibit consists of nine banners recounting the history of LGBT advocacy in Omaha and across Nebraska, “to share evidence of community gatherings, activism, publications, organizations, and other important topics.”
The exhibit features entries on such groups as the Open Arms Trans Social Group, the Flatwater Bears, the Leather Engineers of Omaha, the Heartland Gay Rodeo, and Meat Packers.
I desperately want to know more about the Flatwater Bears. It's too bad the top Google result about them is now this attempted hit piece. (Any readers familiar with the group? Get in touch!)
Not The Good Life: Whatever Cindy Burbank is doing