6/7/2006 3:14:00 PM Letter: Public neutrality the higher road
Editor, Leader:
Having attended the Jefferson County commissioners’ meeting May 22, I was witness to the passage of the proclamation declaring June to be Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Pride Month in Jefferson County. The proclamation was voted on and approved (2-1)) within the first five minutes of the 8 a.m. meeting. I was astonished. A photo was taken and the proclamation’s supporters left.
The two commissioners voting for the proclamation, David Sullivan and Phil Johnson, made comments about “tolerance” and being a “welcoming community,” essentially parroting overused talking points. Except for the proclamation’s supporters, who loudly and repeatedly interrupted all three commissioners during their brief comments, no public comment occurred until 90 minutes later, long after the supporters had gone.
Amazingly, the people in this group authored a flowery proclamation honoring themselves and presented it to our commissioners, two of whom, wanting to appear “tolerant” and “welcoming,” couldn’t say no.
Jefferson County has multitudes of ways to honor deserving people for actual contributions – and which spare us details of their sexual practices. This proclamation, rather, honors a group self-defined by sexual practices and is vague about any contributions.
Gay issues are volatile. We know that. Where is the wisdom in unnecessarily offending and dividing? Isn’t public neutrality the higher road – so we can all remain friends? Isn’t that what tolerance is all about? A truly “welcoming” community also welcomes the more conservative.
Using one’s position as county commissioner to endorse such proclamations seems completely inappropriate and takes the appearance of promoting personal agendas at the cost of unity.
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