Pillen Declares June 'Marriage and Family Month' Amid Pushback Against Pride Month
by John Gage
(Picture credit John Gage)
LINCOLN — Governor Jim Pillen signed a proclamation Wednesday declaring the month of June “Marriage and Family Month.” The declaration follows similar efforts by a number of Republican governors across the country looking to counter celebrations of June as Pride Month.
Pillen said during a signing ceremony that it was “the most important” proclamation he had signed during his time as governor. “It’s really important that we appreciate what we have in Nebraska,” he said. “That we are about faith, we are about family, we are about hard work, we are about the American dream, and that we believe in our family values.”
Pillen was joined at the announcement by members of the Nebraska Family Alliance (NFA), the Nebraska Catholic Conference, as well as Pastor Solo Mwania, from Lincoln City Church, and his daughters.
The proclamation states, in part, “The nuclear family, consisting of one husband, one wife, and any biological, adopted, or fostered children, is God’s design for the family structure and has been the foundation of every society since the creation of the world.”
“As we unify to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States of America, we recognize that growing, strengthening, and empowering families is critical to the next 250 years, both for our state and country,” the proclamation adds.
Nate Grasz, the executive director of NFA, said the proclamation sent a “powerful message” in counteracting celebrations of June as Pride Month.
“At a time when other states and cultural trends are celebrating ‘pride,’ this proclamation sends a powerful message that marriage still matters because mothers and fathers matter and children deserve both whenever possible,” Grasz said. “And that’s worth celebrating.”
Marion Miner, the Catholic Conference’s associate director of pro-life and family policy, said the governor’s proclamation was “commendable and encouraging.”
“Love, commitment, fidelity, self-sacrifice and self-gift are all well-known themes in marriage and family life,” Miner said. “The Governor’s proclamation of June 2026 as ‘Marriage and Family Month’ for the state of Nebraska, which celebrates those virtues, is commendable and encouraging.”
So far, Republican governors in Utah, Arkansas, Alabama, Indiana, Tennessee, and Missouri have all signed versions of the proclamation designating June, Family Month. Republican Illinois Congresswoman Mary Miller introduced a similar resolution on the federal level.
The proclamations come as Gallup released a survey Wednesday which showed support for LGBTQ+ issues has declined in recent years.
— John Gage is the executive editor of The Plains Sentinel.
In my eyes, this is a beautiful proclamation and am confident the overwhelming majority of Nebraskans would agree. What has become known as the nuclear family; husband, wife & children, was mandated by God in the book of Genesis. This proclamation will likely face backlash from the vocal fringes, but doing nothing when a month is devoted to those opposed to God's will, gives the impression of acceptance of their alternate lifestyles.