Mike McBride is a newly-elected city councilmember from 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 threw a temper tantrum during a city council meeting when he refused to support the city’s proclamation acknowledging Pride month.
After a local queer business owner thanked the council for recognizing LGBTQ members of the community, McBride interrupted to say he thinks Pride month is “discriminatory.”
“I just want to go on record to say I’m against this!” he proclaimed. “I’ll treat people with respect, but I’m not going to raise one group of people over another group of people. I think that’s discriminatory!”
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Want to see discrimination in action? In the first part of the video I show up for Newberg City Council Pride month proclamation on behalf of #winecountrypride while on site at #remywinesIn Part 2 a Newberg City Councilor, Mike McBride, goes out of his way to protest Pride. 1. He did not have to do this. It was not up for a vote. He went out of his way to “go on record” as against it. I would consider this bullying. He wanted to make the queer community feel unwelcome and unwanted. 2. His remarks, “It’s discriminatory” to recognize pride is one of the current favorite dog whistles being used against LGBTQ+ rights. It works because it isn’t that offensive to some other straight folks while signaling to likeminded bigots that they are ok in their bigotry. This narrative is the reason a small group of white supremacists started “straight pride” in Boston a couple years back. 3. He is an “honorary” board member for life at Chehalem Parks & Rec.4. He owns the local Farmers Insurance branch which has an LGBTQ+ pledge on their corporate homepage. 5. He was just elected so he has a full term ahead of him. 6. It’s possible that the city council can censure him. That would need to be clarified by the Newberg city attorney. 7. Newberg needs to 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 in our whole county. Already so many people are loving the Rainbow Quest beverage program.8. The future of Newberg is not bigotry.9. He did not protest the Black History Month proclamation in February. McBride applies his logic, definitions and reasoning of “discrimination” at his convenience. 10. This is pure homophobia. 11. Thank you 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” from the discussion but quickly backtracked, saying he couldn’t just let McBride’s comments slide.
“There are groups in our community, in all communities, that have been significantly mistreated over their lifetimes,” he said, adding, “It has happened throughout our history. Anyone who denies that, I’m sorry, I cannot sit idly by.”
Although McBride didn’t specify exactly who he thought Pride month discriminated against, it was pretty obvious to everyone that he meant straight white people.
And they were right!
The councilman confirmed that’s what he meant afterwards, telling his local newspaper, “I don’t think we ought to lift one group up over another. I think that’s discrimination.”
Then he said he was sick and tired of everyone being so politically correct all the time, calling it “just ridiculous.”
“I don’t think the city needs to be a politically correct atmosphere. We’ve got enough problems that we need to be working on without getting into this politically correct stuff!”
But he wasn’t finished yet.
Because after whining about too much political correctness happening in Newberg, McBride then asked why there isn’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 college was founded on Christian principles!”
But McBride’s colleague, councilmember Elise Yarnell Hollamon, couldn’t disagree more.
“I think that Christian, White, Anglo-Saxon people are affirmed enough in our culture,” she said. “I don’t think a proclamation for those groups is needed in the way it’s needed for more marginalized communities. As a White Christian myself, I do not need a month to celebrate me.”
Then she called on McBride to publicly apologize to the LGBTQ community.
Somehow we don’t think that’s gonna happen.
“We’re still America, the land of the free,” McBride said. “I have my own viewpoint and other people have theirs.”
“Rick and others are entitled to their point of view, just like I’m entitled to my point of view. Unfortunately, these days, if you have a different point of view from someone else, they will try and crucify you.”
From where we’re sitting, it seems like the only person “crucifying” McBride is himself.
Graham Gremore is the Features Editor and a Staff Writer at Queerty. Follow him on Twitter @grahamgremore.
Hdtex
These poor, fragile, white middle-aged flowers seem to be popping up everywhere. If only these was some way to affirm their overwhelming majority and privilege…
squinney7007
She a closet queen gurl. I saw her cruising the bathrooms at Washington Square.
Mehki
I screamed in my backyard!
Mister P
Holy Week and the Christmas Season count as Christian heritage.
Liquid Silver
That…could be arranged.
Harley
We have a month that we celebrate Christians. It’s called DECEMBER. And Easter. And St Patrick’s day, to name but three. What a snowflake.
Fname Optional Lname
someone needs more fiber in his diet!!!!
Dymension
Oh, spare me the drama. Really? Crucified?
qwn1
Can’t wait til we have a National “We Are All Human Month”. Oh, wait…there’s no money or funds in that I guess. Oh well, nothing says salary like race bating articles. Who cares how many lives are lost when you make a few dollars, right? Who cares as long as it is popular. Living in a bubble to be caged in a bubble to die in a bubble.
Openminded
I think I follow your logic, but until we treat All Humans like they are Humans we can’t have that celebration. It does seem like we have a day for almost everybody and everything so IMHO, they all have gotten watered down to the point none of them really bring any attention to the group being celebrated which is what I think these days of celebration were meant to do.
Hdtex
qwn1
YOU are the one living in a bubble. If you’d rather not know what’s going on, start your own blog, or log off entirely.
Ridiculous.
Cam
Right wing troll tactic number 37.
Introduce a new screename that comes on with a vague statement. Have one of your other screenames post under it with a “I think I get where you’re going with this” comment.
Your troll game is still sad and weak.
mailliw110
Why do you need a special month to be nice to people? Just do what your Lord Jesus would do.
Ryan99
Christian Heritage? Doesn’t Christmas run for two damn months these days?
Cam
Once again, a hateful bigot has a few people say he shouldn’t be attacking others and he spends the next month crying about what a victim he is.
Typical Republican.
queenofsupport
I believe Christian Heritage Month is officially January through December.
BaltoSteve
Eh.. let him crucify himself. Though, take him down come November, after all we don’t know if his neighbors in Texas will need the wood this upcoming winter.
Kangol2
His fragility is off the charts. If he is so desperate to call attention to himself and other straight White Christian men, who, as far as I can tell, still run most of everything in the US, he can always dress up in a nice white robe, with a pointy hood, carry around an assault rifle and a flaming wooden cross, and parade around during Pride Month or any other month (something tells me Black History Month probably gets him very worked up), with the proviso that he’ll have to deal with the ugly consequences.
radiooutmike
This reminds me of that old Family Circus cartoon…Where Billy is with his grandmother and he asks, “Why isn’t there a Children’s Day?” She answers, “Every day is Children’s Day.”
Every day is white, male, Christian Day here in the good ole US of A!
Only an asshat who lives an unexamined life would complain about Pride month. Representation and charity towards each other is not a zero-sum game. But to a person who has all the power, it seems like it. “Why aren’t I being worshiped?”
Also, the USA was not founded on “Judeo-Christian values”. Representative democracy was invented by the Greeks. The USA isn’t also the largest democracy, India is. Those revered founding fathers were deists. They believed in a Creator, a force which guides and is nature itself.
mailliw110
I’m pretty sure he has no idea how crucifixions work!