Michigan mayor doubles down on homophobia. - Huffington Post
As Patch reports, Troy Mayor Janice Daniels met with members of the Troy High School Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) on Monday in an effort to reach an understanding after an "anti-gay" slur that appeared on her personal Facebook page was harshly criticized by LGBT advocacy groups. However, those hoping the meeting would completely smooth things over say they were disappointed by the outcome.
According to students and others who attended the meeting, Daniels, a Republican, suggested putting together a panel of psychologists to show that homosexuality is dangerous to your mental health, Patch reports. “There were a lot of disturbing things that were said in that meeting," Troy High School senior Skye Curtis is quoted as saying. "She definitely meant it in quite a negative connotation."
Daniels has since denied ever making the suggestion, calling it instead a "misrepresentation entirely." She told the Detroit Free Press: "What I said was, there's a higher incidence of [overall] disease in the homosexual community. I believe in full disclosure. I would like to reach out to this girl and her parents about how this can be resolved."
Still, local LGBT advocates have nonetheless condemned the comments. "It’s shocking that Mayor Daniels continues to promote homophobia in her community," Michael Gregor, Communications Director for Equality Michigan, said in an e-mail. "The comments made, if true, are both disrespectful and dehumanizing to gay and lesbian people who are represented by the mayor. It is exactly this type of behavior that contributes to harassment and violence targeting gay and lesbian people, especially teenagers. No public official should be creating such a harmful environment.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/10/janice-daniels-michigan-mayor-gay-straight-alliance_n_1197181.html
= new reply since forum marked as read
