Discourse regarding the safety of LGBTQ youth continued in Battle Ground’s council chambers last week following the controversial removal of a Pride Proclamation by three members of the Council earlier this month.
In a previous June 3 meeting, Councilors Victoria Ferrer, Eric Overholser and Tricia Davis voted to remove Mayor Troy McCoy’s Pride Month Proclamation from the meeting agenda. The 3-4 vote carried despite being a minority ruling, as three votes are required to remove a proclamation. Clark County locals returned to council chambers last week to share their grievances with the decision.
Charity Feb, a Camas resident, stated that the overturned proclamation sets a negative precedent for the city. Feb, who at one point managed a bookstore on East Main Street in Battle Ground, said, at that time, she witnessed predators take advantage of queer youth who did not feel welcome in their community.
“When queer youths don’t feel welcome where they are safe, some will go where they are welcomed but they are not safe … By reminding queer youths they are not welcome in your community, in a world that already bullies them, condemns them and kills them for being themselves, you’re creating a niche market for predators. Is that your goal? Because, I promise, you’re doing it,” Feb said.
Missy Fant, a secretary working for Clark County Pride, thanked the majority of council members for voting to keep the proclamation. She pushed back against Ferrer and Davis’ arguments against the proclamation during proceedings last week. Both council members argued the proclamation was controversial for not including everyone in its verbiage.
“Did you even read the proclamation? The proclamation included ‘everyone’ multiple times. proving she is not standing for everyone. She is letting her discrimination against certain groups of citizens show, and she is not fit for office,” Fant said. “The only controversial thing about the Pride Proclamation is why there are three members of the City Council attempting to make members of their own community unwelcome and unsafe.”
Jessica Cole, a member of Battle Ground Pride, said the city council is responsible for making its city a safe place for queer youth. Cole reminded council members of Nikki Kuhnhausen, a Brush Prairie teen who was murdered in 2019 after a Vancouver man learned she was transgender.
“It was just days before her graduation. She was murdered simply for being transgender… It occurred right here within the boundaries of our school district. Nikki’s death is a stark reminder of the dangers faced by LGBTQ youth,” Cole remarked. “Now is the time for our City Council to work together to foster a community of compassion, inclusivity and unwavering support for all youth, even LGBTQ youth, which means specific representation even in proclamations.”
