https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/22875/archive/files/982415486cc5bd28e1f6d78973b28e97.jpg?Expires=1785369600&Signature=pscPACLRkzZM1JInZHIFj3xBpBnO8fZADlCDDU241zR1dqprvoNMcureVfeItk6AyKcF9yaIViK0MfmyPiMczTtEM%7E5LMLBg2MogE6m1-Yiavs8Ds-AfmSybWROgHLUm0tWgECHHo00zfsW2C6HNHIEPy0BAUlB-AkRAe1J8Ozp%7EJlylS3B-5fvqX-KiwRp52UoO7KzS04D1f84jhTTF4Nj3-7PdaFatniUhF3EoT9hKwOaK0nPohhQ9PtmqbgdM9yls26zRPvuEkW1YU3s-imO6LwvPC405t4JWY%7EbvV4LtQYm7Y07S1u5-CZAVCHspJdJipDKvJN%7EBoO8u4Lwn4A__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM d0eeaf0804a4f6552d75c6236c0bf860 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource LGBTQ+ Oral History Collection Description An account of the resource The LGBTQ+ Oral History Collection is the home for oral history interviews conducted with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, nonbinary, and asexual individuals from various communities with a focus on those with a connection to Omaha, Nebraska. The interviews were consciously collected to be part of UNO’s Queer Omaha Archives. Interviews to date are all audio recordings and include community members and UNO faculty; interviewees are described individually. Interviews to date have been conducted by UNO professor Jay Irwin, UNO archivist Amy Schindler, UNO students in Prof. Jay Irwin’s Fall 2016 Introduction to LGBT Studies course, and UNO Libraries oral history associate for the Queer Omaha Archives Luke Wegener. Contact UNO Libraries' Archives and Special Collections about access to interviews not yet available online. Oral history is one of many sources available to consult as part of your research. It reflects the experience of an individual and shares personal opinions offered by the interviewee in response to questioning. Additional sources can verify and provide additional information to the narrative of events presented in oral histories. Contact UNO Libraries’ Archives & Special Collections to continue your research, find additional sources, or learn more. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2016-2018 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Irwin, Jay (Interviewer, Person) Wegener, Lukas (Interviewer, Person) University of Nebraska at Omaha. University Library Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available University of Nebraska at Omaha Libraries Relation A related resource LGBTQ+ Oral History Collection finding aid available at <a href="https://archives.nebraska.edu/repositories/4/resources/604">https://archives.nebraska.edu/repositories/4/resources/604</a> Language A language of the resource English Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context UNO-0240 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Luke Wegener Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 03:11:10 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource LGBTQ+ Voices: Interview with Barbara DiBernard Subject The topic of the resource Queer Omaha Archives Sexual minorities -- Nebraska -- Omaha interviews oral histories (document genres) Description An account of the resource Click here to access the interview, <a href="https://library.unomaha.edu/_audio/UNO-0240_Barbara-DiBernard.html">LGBTQ+ Voices: Interview with Barbara DiBernard</a> Dr. Barbara DiBernard, retired UNL English and Women's and Gender Studies Professor and LGBTQ+ activist, was interviewed by Luke Wegener on December 1, 2017 in Lincoln, Nebraska. DiBernard shared information about growing up in New Jersey, her education and feminist awakening, coming to terms with her lesbian identity, her decades-long career teaching in the English department at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and her marriage to her wife, Judy. Biographical Sketch Dr. Barbara DiBernard, born in Dover, New Jersey, is a Professor Emerita of English and Women's and Gender Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and LGBTQ+ activist, whose fight for liberation as a white lesbian woman spans nearly four decades. DiBernard earned a BA in English from Wilson College (Chambersburg, Pennsylvania) in 1970, and a PhD in Modern British Literature in 1976 from The State University of New York at Binghamton. After teaching for two years at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, DiBernard moved to Lincoln, Nebraska where she taught English and Women's and Gender Studies from 1978-2011 and was Director of the Women's and Gender Studies program from 1992-1997. DiBernard has won numerous awards for her teaching and LGBT advocacy work, including the UNL Chancellor's Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community (2002) and UNL's OTICA (Outstanding Teaching and Instructional Award) (2000). Passionate about environmental issues and protecting the planet, DiBernard has been involved with numerous conservation organizations such as the Sierra Club, Greenpeace, Bold Alliance, Citizens Climate Lobby, and Spring Creek Prairie. She is also involved with other groups like the Lincoln Literacy Council, Human Rights Campaign, National Center for Lesbian Rights, Audobon Society, Lambda Legal, and the ACLU of Nebraska. After the Supreme Court's legalization of same-sex marriage in June 2015, DiBernard and her partner of nearly 30 years, Judith Gibson, were the first same-sex couple in Lancaster County to receive a marriage license in Nebraska. Since retiring in 2011, DiBernard resides in Lincoln with Judith and enjoys vegetable gardening, cooking, bird watching and staying involved in local politics. Interview Summary Dr. Barbara DiBernard, retired UNL English and Women's and Gender Studies Professor and LGBTQ+ activist, was interviewed by Luke Wegener on December 1, 2017 in Lincoln, Nebraska. DiBernard was born in Dover, New Jersey to Josephine and Vincent DiBernard and grew up in a Catholic, Italian-American family with one younger sister, Joan. Quiet and well-behaved as a young girl, DiBernard experienced an ideal childhood and enjoyed summers away at camp with her best friend. In high school, DiBernard was unaware of her attraction to women, as it was never presented as an option or openly talked about. In 1966, DiBernard began studying English at Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, expanding her awareness of societal injustice during the Civil Rights Movement and Vietnam War. After earning her PhD from SUNY Binghamton in Modern British Literature in 1976, she eventually moved to teach at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1978, where she began to discover women's literature and experienced a life-changing feminist awakening. Through writers like Tillie Olsen, Audre Lorde, and Minnie Bruce Pratt, DiBernard also began to understand and acknowledge her lesbian identity and how it intersected with her passion for social justice and feminism. Attending events like the Michigan Womyn's Festival for several years, DiBernard saw the power and beauty women hold when they work together, away from the constraints of patriarchal society. As she became more grounded and confident in her identities, DiBernard started coming out to her students and received mostly positive responses, despite struggling to find support with UNL's administration. DiBernard was involved with several causes during her career at UNL, most notably the fight spanning two decades to extend benefits to domestic partners of faculty and staff, which was finally granted in 2012 after her retirement. Over the years, DiBernard invited many feminist and LGBTQ+ icons to UNL for speaking engagements, including writers Minnie Bruce Pratt, Leslie Feinberg, Dorothy Allison, Lillian Faderman, Lev Raphael, and Kenny Fries. In 1988, DiBernard and Judith Gibson, Lincoln therapist, became life partners. In 2000, they joined a lawsuit with the ACLU and Lambda Legal against Nebraska 416, which amended the Nebraska constitution to make same-sex marriage unconstitutional. After the Supreme Court's legalization of same-sex marriage in June 2015, DiBernard and Gibson were the first same-sex couple to receive a marriage license in Lancaster County, Nebraska, which was covered in local newspapers the Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal Star. In this interview, DiBernard also discusses Judy's disability and her passion for disability activism, the impact of the Trump administration on the LGBT community, and reflects on her life of activism and dedication to social justice. Interview Notes Moving in the background can be heard very briefly during the first half of the interview. Midway through the interview, Barbara and Luke moved to a different table. The recorder began picking up any movements they made, making rustling sounds. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017 December 1 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available University of Nebraska at Omaha Libraries Relation A related resource LGBTQ+ Oral History Collection finding aid available at <a href="https://archives.nebraska.edu/repositories/4/resources/604">https://archives.nebraska.edu/repositories/4/resources/604</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource mp3 Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource audio Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context UNO-0240_Barbara-DiBernard audio LGBTQ Oral History