The Omaha World-Herald, one of the largest newspapers in the Midwest, has revised its policy that previously denied same-sex couples the opportunity to publish engagement announcements on the Celebrations page of the paper. In a statement released Tuesday, World-Herald Publisher Terry Kroeger announced that the paper will now run announcements for all legally recognized unions, regardless of gender.
The change in policy comes after Kristy Wilke and Jessica Kitzman (above) attempted to run a purchased engagement announcement in the paper but were denied. Kitzman and Wilke, an Omaha native whose great-great-great grandfather founded the World-Herald in 1885, took their fight to Facebook, where they quickly amassed more than 2,500 members on their page, United for Equal Rights in Nebraska. Several same-sex couples posted similar accounts of the paper’s discriminatory practices on the Facebook page.
Kitzman noted that the World-Herald’s former position on gay marriage announcements was discriminatory, not only because it denied gays and lesbians the same rights as heterosexual couples, but also because the paper’s distribution region includes many parts of western Iowa, where gay marriage is legally recognized.
In his statement, Kroeger acknowledged that the change in policy won’t satisfy everybody: “Some will criticize this action because they would prefer that same-sex announcements not appear in their newspaper. Others will say it doesn’t go far enough.”
Kroeger also took the opportunity to defend his newspaper, “This news organization is not guilty of hating gays and lesbians. Should we have seen this issue more clearly? Probably. Have we been too slow in reacting to this matter? Maybe. But hateful? Never.”
Wilke and Kitzman acknowledge that the paper’s new policy is a step in the right direction: “While it isn’t an all-inclusive change, we would be remiss to not call it a victory,” says Kitzman. “We just want people to realize that all of this was accomplished through the power of a grassroots movement and peaceful protest. We also want to thank the Omaha World-Herald for opening up a dialogue with us.”
The couple will marry in Minnesota in August of next year but also has a small ceremony planned in Iowa, Kitzman’s home state, where they will be able to obtain a legally binding marriage license. Since their union will be legally recognized in Iowa, Wilke and Kitzman look forward to seeing their engagement announcement published in the pages of the World-Herald soon.
