06/29/2025
We will not let anyone silence the LGBTQIA’s voices
‼️UPDATE: Following this post, Norfolk Daily News published our letter to the editor dated May 17, 2025.
In May, the Norfolk Area Pride Board submitted a letter to the editor addressing serious concerns about LGBTQ+ discrimination by the Norfolk Arts Center. These actions not only harm the LGBTQ+ community — they undermine the values of inclusion and creativity that our arts spaces are supposed to uphold.
Instead of publishing the letter and allowing open dialogue in our community, Norfolk Daily News has refused to print it.
Given the potential conflict of interest — the newspaper publisher’s personal involvement in the art center’s current capital campaign — this silence feels like intentional suppression.
When discrimination is met with silence from those in power, we have a responsibility to speak louder.
We are sharing the letter here directly. We hope you will read it, share it, and help hold our institutions — both artistic and journalistic — accountable.
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Letter to Editor, Submitted to Norfolk Daily News May 17, 2025
RE: Statement from Norfolk Area Pride Regarding Art Censorship by the Norfolk Arts Center
Norfolk Area Pride is deeply disappointed and disheartened by the recent decision of the Norfolk Arts Center to remove a piece of LGBTQ+ themed artwork from its juried selection.
The piece in question was selected by the designated juror following submission by the artist. It was placed on display. After being selected and placed on display it was removed with no known consultation with the juror who selected it.
This action is an affront to the artist whose voice and vision were silenced and to the Norfolk Arts Center own mission statement and processes for juried displays.
It is a troubling reflection of broader efforts to suppress LGBTQ+ expression in our community and beyond.
Art has always served as a powerful platform for marginalized voices — a means of expression, resistance, and truth-telling. To exclude a piece solely on the basis of its LGBTQ+ content sends a chilling message: that q***r stories and identities are unwelcome or inappropriate in spaces that claim to celebrate creativity and diversity.
This act of censorship runs contrary to the values of inclusion, equity, and free expression that institutions like the Norfolk Arts Center are entrusted to uphold. As an organization committed to visibility, representation, and justice for LGBTQ+ individuals in Northeast Nebraska, Norfolk Area Pride strongly condemns this decision and calls on the Norfolk Arts Center to take immediate steps to acknowledge the harm caused, reinstate the artwork, and adopt transparent, inclusive policies to ensure this does not happen again.
Silencing q***r art silences q***r lives — and we will not be silent in response.
Sincerely, Norfolk Area Pride Board of Directors
Mark Shashikant - President
Steph Mattern - Vice President
Jami Schmidt - Treasurer
Brooke Hess - Secretary
Jennifer Ippensen - Past President
Mo Bailey
Breanna Hember
Stella Ippensen
Jessie Peyregne
Dawn Phelps
Lane Porter
Brent Uhing
