In Brief

Staff Reports

Troy Michigan Mayor Accused Of More Homophobic Remarks

Janice Daniels

TROY, MICHIGAN -- Troy Mayor Janice Daniels is embroiled in controversy again after members of a local high school Gay-Straight Alliance accused her of making disturbing homophobic remarks during a meeting Monday. Troy High School Gay Straight Alliance members Skye Curtis and Zach Kilgore said that during the afternoon meeting- which both students said was an attempt to reach an understanding after the Mayor's anti-gay Facebook slur went viral, garnering nationwide attention last month- the mayor while discussing mental health and suicide issues that affect members of the LGBTQ community, suggested putting together a panel of psychologists to show that homosexuality is dangerous to a person's mental health. "She definitely meant it in quite a negative connotation," Curtis told the local Patch media outlet.

"The mayor of Troy told my daughter this afternoon that she wants to bring in a panel of psychologists to explain to the high school's Gay-Straight Alliance that homosexuality is a mental disease," Rodney Curtis, Skye's father, wrote on his Facebook page.

A lesbian couple, Amy and Tina Weber were also present for the meeting and verified what the mayor had said. Amy Weber was so disturbed by Daniels' comments that she attended the Troy City Council meeting Monday evening and asked for an audio copy of the meeting between the Troy High GSA and the mayor, which the mayor recorded, during public comment.

When asked about the comment, however, Daniels said she said no such thing.

"That is a misrepresentation entirely," Daniels said in an interview with Troy Patch Monday evening. "I would like to meet with Skye and her parents to discuss these kinds of issues. Rather than have all this division, we need to come together, because I never said that."

"Her tune changed completely," Kilgore said. "Before, she was very for an anti-bullying event because she thought we could turn this into a positive thing. What we found out today was that she was not planning on doing that.

"She turned it into an anti-suicide thing, which is great, but she wanted to completely ignore the issue that started this."

“That bullying leads to suicide," Curtis continued. "Then we started talking about who could possibly speak, and she alluded to the fact that she wanted to bring in a panel of psychologists who would testify that homosexuality was a mental disease."

“This was implied by her," Kilgore clarified. "She didn’t explicitly say it. Somebody said something to the effect of, 'we can't tell these kids that what they're doing is wrong.'"

"And she said, 'well, I can get a panel to testify,'" Curtis said. "Which is really horrifying, because if we're trying to prevent suicide, telling a room full of gay kids that they have a mental disease probably isn't a way to prevent suicide." ~ Troy Patch.com

Michael Gregor, Director of Communications for Equality Michigan told LGBTQNation in an e-mail Tuesday;

“It’s shocking that Mayor Daniels continues to promote homophobia in her community. 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.”

Oklahoma Lawmaker Wants To Reinstate Anti-Gay "Don't Ask-Don't Tell" For State's National Guard

Rep, Mike Reynolds, (R-OK City)

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A Oklahoma City Republican lawmaker introduced a measure that would reinstate the controversial “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy for the Oklahoma National Guard. Representative Mike Reynolds authored a measure that would prohibit anyone who was ineligible to serve in the U.S. armed forces under federal regulations that were in effect on Jan. 1, 2009, from serving in the state's Guard. Reynolds said the state is allowed to set its own standards for service in the National Guard and is not required to duplicate standards for the rest of the U.S. military.

House Bill 2195 would amend existing state law that allows any able-bodied U.S. citizen and who is at least 18 years old and not yet 70 to serve in the Oklahoma National Guard. When contacted by LGBTQNation Tuesday, the spokesman for the Guard, Lt. Colonel Max Moss said that the Guard would not comment on the pending legislation.

A spokesperson for Representative Reynolds said Tuesday that the measure was being introduced in response to requests from members of the Oklahoma National Guard.

Toby Jenkins, executive director of Tulsa-based Oklahomans for Equality, in a phone interview with LGBTQNation Tuesday evening said that the Reynolds measure is mean-spirited and actually is damaging to the morale of Gay Oklahoma Guard troops that are currently serving in combat operations in Afghanistan. He said his group is opposed to the the bill, urging the state's other legislators to kill the measure.

Jenkins also pointed out that it was the Tulsa based group's center that had U. S. Military recruiters on the premises the day that DADT was formally repealed last September 20th ready to sign up new recruits.

"Oklahoma has serious pressing issues- meth crimes, prisons that are filling up too fast, schools that aren't working and this is the issue he picks as the most serious in need of attention?" Jenkins said. "The other disturbing aspect to his bill," Jenkins added, "is that there is a section which would allow for a potential recruit to be interrogated about their sexual orientation, this is simply intrusive," he said.

Jenkins said that his group will work with LGBTQ allies in the state legislative committee where it currently is pending to try to stop the bill before it comes to a floor vote.

"It is this sort of thing, Reynolds and well even Sally Kerns which gives other people the idea that every Oklahoman is homophobic," Jenkins said. "But that is not the reality. The truth is that there are more inclusive and accepting persons in this state than outright bigots."