Winlock Mayor Brandon Svenson’s recent comments in the July 13 Board of Lewis County Commissioners meeting stated:
“Just last month a proclamation was passed that seemed effortless even though it pandered to the 2%. And when I say pander to 2% I don’t know the exact math. I don’t mean the LGBT community. I mean the Lollipop Guild, a group of bullies who have done the LGBTQ community a disservice as far as I am concerned.”
I would like to take this opportunity to clarify some things for Mr. Svenson.
First and most importantly, last month's Lewis County Pride Proclamation was and is for the LGBTQ community and was not actually requested by the Lewis County Lollipop Guild (LCLG) or anyone else that I am aware of.
I do appreciate that two of our commissioners took the initiative to listen to a marginalized segment of their constituency and submit and then approve it, but let’s not lose sight of the fact that it only happened after the third was in hot water over bullying comments towards the LGBTQ community.
Please note that neither I personally nor LCLG as an organization speak for the LGBTQ community as a whole.
There are absolutely people in Lewis County, LGBTQ and otherwise, who do not care to associate with LCLG, and that is OK.
But, as a card-carrying member of the LGBTQ community, one thing that I can tell you for certain is that a cishetero man trying to speak of what is or is not a disservice to our community is absurd.
Sit down. Perhaps listen to some of your constituents who are affected by the vilifications you are perpetuating.
To address Mr. Svenson’s other comments, the Lewis County Lollipop Guild itself is an intersectional community organization with members from all age groups, walks of life, gender identities and sexual orientations as well as political ideologies.
That includes Second Amendment supporters. Our community believes that the constitution belongs to all of us and a diversity of opinions engaging in mutually respectful discourse is what makes America great to begin with. It should be noted again here that I personally do not speak for every member of LCLG and can only express my personal viewpoints informed by the feedback I receive.
Much the same as you don’t speak for all of Winlock and the Hamilton sign doesn’t speak for all of Lewis County.
Finally, I do recall two short months ago when Mr. Svenson submitted a since deleted (perhaps censored?) bullying comment on our state representative’s social media page accusing the local newspaper of performing sexual favors in an attempted queer shaming of his own party members. And then Mr. Svenson returned to this commissioners meeting this week to again bully his own party members while simultaneously accusing others of the bullying behaviors he was himself performing in front of our very eyes.
Mr. Svenson might examine his own words and actions before trying to judge other members of his party or community.
Kyle Wheeler
Toledo
