Just one week after city councilwoman Carrie Evans rocked a city council meeting by coming out of the closet, the tiny city of Minot, North Dakota has experienced an uptick in outward homophobia.
It was on full display during another council meeting this past Monday (September 21) as debate continued over flying the Pride Flag outside Minot City Hall. The city originally planned to fly the flag throughout the month of June, though deferred those plans until September due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the September 14 council meeting, Evans came out of the closet to push back against an angry Minot resident who didn’t want his city associated with the flag.
Evans’ declaration brought citizens out of the woodwork on both sides of the debate. KFYR TV reports that tensions flared during the September 21 meeting, again over display of the Pride Flag.
Related: North Dakota councilwoman comes out in epic smackdown of a homophobe
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“Not only as an openly gay woman, but as a born and raised citizen of Minot I was deeply disappointed by the homophobic display put on by citizens at last week’s meeting,” said Riley Held, a former resident of the city.
“We will be forever grateful for this historic moment here in Minot, North Dakota. As an openly gay male, and an indigenous person I can say we have all experienced in our own individual shared way what it means to be treated less than human,” Jordan Laducer, of Magic City Equality told the council.
Opponents of the flag didn’t mince words.
“My husband is a Vietnam veteran who has a deep respect for our country, state, and city. Likewise so do I. We both feel it’s not appropriate to fly other flags in front of city hall or other government buildings,”Minot resident Liz Hoppman said.
Ultimately the city council voted to place a moratorium on flags other than the American Flag displayed outside city hall. In the meantime, the council will develop a new policy regarding procedures for requesting and flying new flags.
On the upside, that means that the NRA flag, scheduled to fly outside city hall later this week, will not go up as planned.
drmiller
These people throw a fit over a flag being flown. And they call liberals snowflakes. Imagine being so insecure that a flag bothers you THIS much.
Also, loving how the wife brought up Vietnam. “My husband was a solider. We have every right to be bigots!”
Trash.
Kevan1
I hope she and other LGBTQIQ people come forward in this community. Time for the hateful dinosaurs to just go on and die out.
Cam
You have to love all the B.S. All these people who say that they just don’t want any other flag other than the American Flag flying there……..well funny since they’ve been flying tons of other flags over there each week for years and it was ONLY when the rainbow flag was going to fly that they suddenly came up with this excuse.
Bigots are such cowards.
Matthewnow
Maybe they should fly a flag with trump’s (lower case intended) face upside down. Isn’t that the way satan flys his face flag.
blackhook
Hateful, bigoted, dumber-than-dirt dipshits in rural North Dakota…Sad! No wonder young people are leaving in droves…
Mister P
Obviously COVID-19 makes many people more stupid. They don’t even have to get it and their intelligence goes down.