Flashback: Heartland Pride President Beth Rigatuso addresses crowd at Vigil Against Violence days after alleged Lincoln, NE hate crime hoax by Charlie Rogers

"I actually... this morning, had the profound privilege of meeting Charlie. I got to sit in the same room as she trusted for us to be there to share her story with the news. And I have to tell you, this is real. She is very real."

Star City Pride, PFLAG Cornhusker, UNL’s LGBTQA Resource Center, and Outlinc have released a joint statement. Heartland Pride evidently did not sign on to the statement.

From the Lincoln Police Department arrest warrant alleging that Charlie Rogers filed a false police report about being the victim of a hate crime:

After several days into the investigation, Your Affiant received information from the FBI that sometime prior to July 22, 2012, Ms. Rogers had sent a photo to a friend of a cross that had been cut into Ms. Rogers's chest. This cross was smaller but in the same general location as the cross that had been cut into her chest during this event of July 22, 2012. When questioned about this Ms. Rogers reported that her father had cut the cross into her chest, but she had not reported it to the police. Ms. Rogers's father was questioned and denied the allegations made by his daughter.