Mike McBride is a member of the newly elected city council of Newberg, Oregon. He’s also a major homophobe with a very fragile ego, as well as a bit of a drama queen.
Earlier this month, McBride had a temper tantrum at a city council meeting when he refused to support the city’s proclamation recognizing Pride Month.
After a local queer business owner thanked the board for recognizing the LGBTQ members of the community, McBride interrupted to say he thought Pride Month was “discriminatory.”
“I just want to say publicly that I am against this!” he proclaimed. “I will treat people with respect, but I’m not going to elevate one group of people above another group of people. I think it is discriminatory!
Want to see discrimination in action? In the first part of the video, I introduce myself to the Newberg City Council Pride Month proclamation on behalf of #winecountrypride while I was on site at #remywines In part 2, Newberg City Councilor Mike McBride, goes out of his way to protest the pride. 1. He didn’t have to. It was not for a vote. He went out of his way to “get on the record” as opposed to that. I would consider this bullying. He wanted the queer community to feel unwanted and unwanted. 2. His remarks, “It’s discriminatory” to recognize that pride is one of the favorite dog whistles currently in use against LGBTQ + rights. It works because it’s not that offensive to other heterosexuals while signaling like-minded fanatics that they are okay with their bigotry. This narrative is the reason why a small group of white supremacists started an “outright pride” in Boston a few years ago. 3. He is an “honorary” life member of the Board of Directors of Chehalem Parks & Rec.4. He owns the local Farmers Insurance branch which has an LGBTQ + commitment on their corporate homepage. 5. He has just been elected, so he has a full term ahead of him. 6. The city council may censor him. This should be clarified by the Newberg City District Attorney. 7. Newberg must present a welcoming community in order to attract businesses and tourists. Pride could be an incredible opportunity to create a positive month-long economic event across our county. Already so many people love the Rainbow Quest Beverage Program. 8. Newberg’s future is not fanatic. 9. He did not protest the proclamation of Black History Month in February. McBride applies his logic, definitions and reasoning of “discrimination” as he sees fit. 10. This is pure homophobia. 11. Thanks to Mayor Rick Rogers for standing up for rural minorities.
Posted by Remy Drabkin on Tuesday, June 15, 2021
Mayor Rick Rogers, who was leading the meeting, initially said he wanted to “move on” with the discussion, but quickly backed off, saying he couldn’t just let McBride’s comments slip away. .
“There are groups in our community, in all communities, who have been severely abused in their lifetime,” he said, adding, “This has happened throughout our history. Anyone who denies it, I’m sorry, I can’t just sit idly by.
While McBride didn’t spell out exactly who he thought Pride Month discriminated against, it was pretty obvious to everyone that he was talking about straight whites.
And they were right!
The city councilor confirmed that was what he meant afterwards, telling his local newspaper: “I don’t think we should elevate one group above another. I think it is discrimination.
Then he said he was fed up with everyone being so politically correct all the time, calling it “just ridiculous”.
“I don’t think the city needs a politically correct atmosphere. We have enough issues that we need to work on without getting into this kind of politically correct stuff!
But he hadn’t finished yet.
Because after complaining about too much political correctness in Newberg, McBride then asked why there wasn’t a month dedicated exclusively to Christians.
“Why don’t we celebrate Christian Heritage Month? ” He asked. “Our country was founded on Christian principles and our city and our quorum were founded on Christian principles! “
But McBride’s colleague, board member Elise Yarnell Hollamon, couldn’t disagree more.
“I think Christians, whites, Anglo-Saxons are sufficiently assertive in our culture,” she said. “I don’t think a proclamation for these groups is necessary in the same way as it is for more marginalized communities. As a white Christian myself, I don’t need a month to celebrate myself.
Then she asked McBride to apologize publicly to the LGBTQ community.
Somehow we don’t think this will happen.
“We are still America, the land of the free,” McBride said. “I have my own point of view and the others have theirs. “
“Rick and the others are entitled to their point of view, just as I am entitled to my point of view. Unfortunately these days if you have a different point of view than someone else they will try to crucify you.
From where we are sitting, it seems the only person to “crucify” McBride is himself.
Graham Gremore is editor and editor at Queerty. Follow him on Twitter @grahamgremore.
