Opportunities for LGBTQ+ Students
14 opportunities specifically for lgbtq+ students.
Trans Nebraska — Know Your Rights & Legal Resources
ACLU of Nebraska
Trans Nebraska (transnebraska.org) is a dedicated resource website launched by the ACLU of Nebraska to empower transgender and gender non-conforming Nebraskans to understand their legal rights. The site provides step-by-step guides for Nebraska name changes (adult and minor processes), gender marker changes on driver's licenses and birth certificates, rights in schools and employment, and policy tracking on legislation affecting trans Nebraskans. Key legal information: Adult name change costs approximately $160 (filing fee + newspaper publication) and requires 1 year of county residency. Driver's license gender marker change requires a broad physician certification (not surgery-specific). Birth certificate gender marker change currently requires sex reassignment surgery in Nebraska.
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One Iowa — Iowa LGBTQ+ Resources & Advocacy
One Iowa
One Iowa is the primary statewide LGBTQ+ advocacy organization for Iowa, providing resources, community support, and policy advocacy for LGBTQ+ Iowans — including Council Bluffs and Pottawattamie County residents. One Iowa has published a detailed implementation guide for the significant legal changes that took effect July 1, 2025, when Iowa removed gender identity from the Iowa Civil Rights Act — the first state to do so. Current Iowa legal context: sexual orientation remains protected under state law; gender identity does not. Gender-affirming care for minors is banned; Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming care is banned (as of July 1, 2025). One Iowa provides direct support to LGBTQ+ Iowans seeking care, an LGBTQ+ resource directory, and provider training programs for healthcare professionals. Legal name change is still available in Iowa; courts cannot deny a name change solely because the person is transgender.
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Omaha ForUs — LGBTQ+ Community Center
Omaha ForUs
Omaha ForUs is the dedicated LGBTQ+ community center for the Omaha metro, listed in the CenterLink national network of LGBTQ+ centers. The center provides safe space, community programs, and direct services for LGBTQ+ individuals of all identities. Programs include: Proud Horizons (peer support group for LGBTQ+ youth ages 13–23, every other Saturday); a Mental Health Support Group (2nd and 4th Wednesdays, 6–7:30 PM, for adults navigating mental health and LGBTQ+ identity); the Pride Pantry (food assistance for food-insecure LGBTQ+ individuals); no-cost STI testing (partnership with Nebraska AIDS Project, Planned Parenthood, and Douglas County Health); on-site social work case management; monthly Glam Workshops (sewing, costume design, hair, makeup); and Florecer, a social group specifically for Latine and Chicane LGBTQ+ people in Omaha.
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PFLAG Omaha — Support for LGBTQ+ People & Their Families
PFLAG Omaha
PFLAG Omaha provides peer-to-peer support, education, and advocacy for LGBTQ+ individuals, their parents, families, and allies. Monthly meetings bring together people navigating coming out, family acceptance, identity, and belonging in a facilitated, confidential setting. Meetings are held on the second Thursday of every month at Countryside Community Church in Omaha (doors at 6:30 PM, meeting begins at 7:00 PM). A Spanish-English bilingual support meeting is offered on the fourth Thursday of every month — a rare and important resource for Spanish-speaking LGBTQ+ families. PFLAG Omaha serves the full Omaha/Council Bluffs metro area.
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Nebraska AIDS Project (NAP) — HIV Services, PrEP & Support
Nebraska AIDS Project
Founded in 1984, the Nebraska AIDS Project (NAP) leads Nebraska's response to HIV/AIDS through free testing, prevention, housing, case management, and advocacy. NAP provides free, confidential or anonymous HIV testing with same-day results for anyone age 13 and older; a free PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) program for those seeking daily HIV prevention medication; HOPWA (Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS) — NAP is the sole HOPWA provider in Nebraska; Ryan White Program services for people living with HIV; professional case management; mental health services and support groups; and bilingual (Spanish/English) HIV testing and education. NAP serves all 93 Nebraska counties.
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Planned Parenthood Omaha — Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy
Planned Parenthood North Central States
Planned Parenthood Omaha Health Center offers gender-affirming hormone therapy (HRT) for transgender and non-binary adults. Services include initiation and ongoing monitoring of masculinizing and feminizing hormone therapy, STI testing and treatment, PrEP access, and comprehensive reproductive and sexual health care. Telehealth appointments are available for hormone therapy through Nebraska Telehealth. Planned Parenthood North Central States has been recognized as an LGBTQ+ inclusive health care High Performer by the Human Rights Campaign. Financial assistance is available — call (877) 859-0589 to see if you qualify. Nebraska LB 574 restricts certain gender-affirming care for minors under 19; contact the clinic to understand what services are available for your specific situation.
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OutNebraska — LGBTQ+ Advocacy & Community Resources
OutNebraska
OutNebraska is Nebraska's statewide LGBTQ+ advocacy and education organization, empowering, celebrating, and cultivating thriving LGBTQ+ communities across the state for over 14 years. OutNebraska maintains a comprehensive LGBTQ+ resource directory (including PFLAG, healthcare providers, affirming businesses, and legal resources), advocates for reform with state and local representatives, and hosts community events including the Prairie Pride Film Festival. The organization also supports LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion and school support initiatives, and connects residents with PFLAG and other community organizations.
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Heartland Pride — Annual LGBTQ+ Festival & Year-Round Events
Heartland Pride
Heartland Pride celebrates and promotes the history, diversity, and future of the LGBTQ+ community of the Omaha/Council Bluffs metro year-round. The annual Heartland Pride Parade and Festival is one of the largest LGBTQ+ gatherings in the Midwest — the 2025 festival took place July 12 with a parade through downtown Omaha and a full-day festival featuring drag performances, music, food trucks, a family area, and an adults' area. Heartland Youth Pride & Family Night (July 11, 2025, 5 PM) is a youth- and family-centered event. The annual Heartland Pride 5K Fun Run/Walk is scheduled for 2026. Heartland Pride also maintains a comprehensive LGBTQ+ community and business directory at heartlandpride.org/directory.
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Omaha Human Rights & Relations Department — Discrimination Complaints
City of Omaha
The Omaha Human Rights and Relations Department (OHRRD) investigates complaints of discrimination in Omaha under the City's Human Rights Ordinance. The City of Omaha has prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation AND gender identity in employment, housing, and public accommodations since 2012 — one of the most comprehensive municipal protections in Nebraska. If you have experienced discrimination in Omaha based on your sexual orientation or gender identity, OHRRD can investigate your complaint. These protections apply within Omaha city limits, supplementing (and in the case of gender identity, going beyond) Nebraska state law. Complaint filing is free.
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OneWorld Community Health Centers
OneWorld Community Health Centers
Federally Qualified Health Center with multiple Omaha locations offering medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy, and support services on a sliding fee scale. OneWorld explicitly provides LGBTQ+ affirming care including gender-affirming hormone therapy, PrEP access, HIV and STI testing, and mental health services for LGBTQ+ patients. Accepts Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance. Specializes in serving uninsured and underinsured patients regardless of ability to pay. Includes health insurance enrollment assistance, interpreter services, and school-based health centers.
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Teen D&D at Omaha ForUs
Omaha ForUs
A free monthly tabletop RPG night at Omaha ForUs, the metro's LGBTQ+ community center. Ages 13–19, all supplies provided, no experience needed. Third Thursday of every month at 5–7pm — if you've been curious about D&D but didn't have a group to start with, this is that group.
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First Friday Breakfast Club LGBTQ+ Scholarship — Spring 2026
First Friday Breakfast Club
This is the scholarship for Iowa students who have stood up. The First Friday Breakfast Club awards $3,000 to Iowa high school seniors who have actively fought homophobia or educated their communities about LGBTQ+ issues — through a GSA, through advocacy, through art, through policy work, through any meaningful effort. You do not need to be LGBTQ+ to apply. This award is open to all Iowa residents regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, race, or religion. What matters is what you have done. The deadline is historically mid-March, which means it may be open right now. Apply at ffbciowa.org/apply-for-a-scholarship. The organization is Des Moines-based and meets monthly at Hoyt Sherman Place. If the 2026 cycle is still open, apply now. If it has closed: if you are an Iowa junior who has been doing this work, put this scholarship in your planner for fall 2026 — the application typically opens in January.
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River City Gender Alliance (RCGA) — Transgender Peer Support
River City Gender Alliance
River City Gender Alliance (RCGA) is one of the oldest transgender support organizations in the United States, founded in Omaha in 1986 and incorporated as a Nebraska nonprofit in 2014. RCGA provides peer support, friendship, and understanding for transgender and gender non-conforming individuals and their families across the Midwest — drawing members from Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, South Dakota, Kansas, and beyond. The organization hosts monthly meetings, social outings, and community activities, and conducts education and outreach to improve trans acceptance. RCGA was instrumental in the passage of Omaha's LGBTQ+ anti-discrimination ordinance.
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Nebraska Medicine Gender Care Clinic
Nebraska Medicine / UNMC
Nebraska Medicine's Gender Care Clinic provides comprehensive gender-affirming care for adults (age 19 and older). Services include initiation and monitoring of masculinizing and feminizing hormone therapy; gynecological care for transgender men; post-operative care for genital reconstruction; and referrals to transgender-affirming primary care providers. Surgical consultations are available for gender-affirming procedures including chest surgery, vaginoplasty, breast augmentation, facial feminization, and voice surgery — all for patients aged 19 or older. Nebraska Medicine also maintains a directory of transgender-affirming healthcare resources at nebraskamed.com/transgender-care/transgender-resources.
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