Two Tulare County supes walk out as LGBTQ+ support organizations honored

Two members of the Tulare County Board of Supervisors made an unannounced exit during a ceremony honoring the work of LGBTQ+ support organizations during the board’s meeting on Tuesday, June 2.

Supervisors Pete Vander Poel (District 2) and Dennis Townsend (District 5) apparently left the meeting to avoid being included in the presentation of the proclamation.

The county declaration honors the groups’ work to protect and support the LGBTQ+ community in Tulare County. Both men also declined to sign the proclamation.

Walk-Out Surprised, Disappointed Board Chair

The pair’s unexpected absence came as a surprise to Board Chair Amy Shuklian, who oversaw the presentation.

“I didn’t know they were going to walk out of the meeting. I’m disappointed,” she said. “I feel bad for the organizations that were up there talking about what they do in the community.”

The organizations being honored were support and advocacy group Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) of Tulare and Kings Counties, the civic service club Visalia Pride Lions, and The Source, a community center for LGBTQ+ individuals.

The supervisors’ proclamation was intended to honor these nongovernmental groups, whose work, Shuklian said, are critical to the wellbeing of all county residents. Similar proclamations are regularly made for other groups like those honored Tuesday, she said.

“Organizations and nonprofits are what make our community, Tulare County, function,” Shuklian said. “We contract with The Source and a lot of other organizations to provide the services we’re (Tulare County) mandated to provide.”

Shuklian also said official recognition, such as the county proclamation, signal strongly that the people those groups represent are welcome here.

“It’s important they feel they’re members of the community no matter who they are,” she said. “It’s important to recognize everyone in the community, no matter who they are, if they are doing good work.”

Vander Poel ‘Doesn’t Believe’ in Activism, Protesting

According to Supervisor Vander Poel, it was the inclusion of PFLAG that prompted him to leave the room. Unfamiliar with PFLAG – a support group for the family and friends of LGBTQ+ people formed in 1973 – Vander Poel turned to the website of the local branch.

“When you look at their home page you will see a photo. In that photo, there are individuals holding signs that say, ‘Trump Treason = Lock Him Up,’ and ‘Fight Ignorance, Not Immigrants,’ and ‘Affordable Health Care for All,’” Vander Poel wrote in an email response to Caitlin Rauen, who had questioned his reasoning.

This is not the first time official support for PFLAG has upset its detractors.

In 1990, First Lady Barbara Bush wrote a letter of support to PFLAG’s president, in which she said, “We cannot tolerate discrimination against any individuals or groups in our country.” Bush’s private comment was reprinted by the Associated Press, drawing the ire of conservatives.

PFLAG’s founder, Jeanne Manford, was honored with the Presidential Citizens Medal in 2013.

PFLAG’s main approach is wielding legal power against public figures who attack the LGBTQ+ community, as well as organizing protests and other events intended to influence public policy. However, the wording the national organization used on its website was so concerning to Vander Poel he felt he could not lend his name to the local proclamation.

“On the PFLAG national website, they talk about ‘fighting’ and ‘protesting,’” Vander Poel wrote. “Activism and protesting are not strategies I believe in, and I did not want to recognize a seemingly political organization that focuses on that.”

Supervisors’ Action Was Not a Protest

Vander Poel, who represents the Tulare area, told other local media outlets his absence was not a protest. Rather it was to avoid a confrontation.

“I did not explain myself or make any comments at the meeting because I did not want to take anything away from the recognition being bestowed upon the organizations,” he wrote.

Supervisor Dennis Townsend, who represents the Porterville area, reportedly said the county proclamation was secret acknowledgement of Pride Month by Shuklian. He also said the honor was official validation of the behavior of LGBTQ+ individuals, and not simple recognition of the organizations’ beneficial work in Tulare County.

Shuklian denied this accusation.

“This was not a Pride Month proclamation. Obviously, this is Pride Month, but I wanted to recognize these organizations,” she said. “A lot of people say, ‘Well, why do we have Pride Month?’ To me, the opposite of pride is shame, and I will never be ashamed of who I am or who I love.”

During the ceremony, Brian Poth, CEO of The Source, explained why he thinks the work done there is important. It is not only critical to the clients who use the services, but serves to better the entire community.

“We believe that when people feel safe and included, they build lives that benefit their communities,” Poth said. “Every resident deserves access to success, opportunity and a sense of belonging.”

In praising the organizations’ work, Shuklian explained why her colleagues’ absence and their attitude was difficult to understand.

“You have definitely saved the lives of youth and young adults in Tulare County. I know that for a fact,” Shuklian said. “And anybody who can go against the fact that you work to save the lives of our young people is a shame.”

She was especially upset the pair left without explaining their behavior.

“If Pete had leaned over and said I’m not comfortable and don’t want to be in the photo, I might feel different,” Shuklian said.

Tulare, Visalia Support LGBTQ+ Community Officially

The Board of Supervisors wasn’t the only government body that chose to honor LGBTQ+ citizens in June. On Tuesday, the Tulare City Council proclaimed June as LGBT Pride Month in the city. The council there also recognized the work of The Source.

The Visalia City Council will present a proclamation honoring The Source during a celebration of the organization’s 10th anniversary, 6-8 p.m., Wednesday, June 10, at 109 NW 2nd Avenue in Visalia. The event is open to adults only.

Neither of those proclamations singled out PFLAG for specific recognition, unlike that presented by the county. The decades-old organization has never been seen as radical in its behavior or advocacy, which leaves Shuklian puzzled over why her colleagues singled it out. Shuklian also said the proclamation had been worded to be as inoffensive as possible.

“I really didn’t think that it was such a big deal, especially for those organizations,” she said. “I was shocked that PFLAG was the stickler.”

Kathryn Hall, PFLAG’s current president, was particularly offended by Vander Poel and Townsend’s action.

“I think it was rude to be purposefully absent when their constituents are being honored,” Hall said. “These three organizations do good work not just for the LGBTQ community.”

On a more sinister note, Hall believes behavior like that of Townsend and Vander Poel make life even more difficult for people who have been historically singled out for prejudice and bigotry, and violence.

“It’s mean spirited and a sign of the climate that has become threatening toward LGBTQ+ people,” Hall said. “And it’s just this kind of behavior that makes life difficult for LGBTQ+ people and those who love them.”

LGBTQ+ people struggle more with internal conflicts most other people aren’t forced to confront, Hall said, and official attitudes of intolerance make that problem far worse.

“The higher incidence of mental health problems and outcomes is due to the way people treat them,” she said. “It’s not that there’s anything wrong with people in the queer community.”

A more effective way of unifying the country and making our community better for everyone, Hall said, is making an effort to understand those whose views conflict with our own.

“I think a little empathy is what it takes,” she said.