GASTONIA, N.C. — A special committee is weighing whether the city council in Gastonia can consider a Pride Month proclamation, but one councilman could put up a roadblock to the plan.
The measure didn’t pass the council last year. At that time, only one councilman said he couldn’t vote yes for the proclamation.
That man, Jim Gallagher, now leads the committee that’s discussing the proclamation.
“First, I am a Bible-believing born-again Christian. Second, I love others without qualification,” Gallagher said in a council meeting last year. He didn’t have to give his opinion at the meeting, but he said he felt compelled to do so by his faith.
He echoed those same words on Tuesday.
“I cannot recognize and proclaim June as Pride Month. I must stand up for my closely held beliefs,” Gallagher said.
He said he sees a proclamation for Pride Month as a political issue, and neither political nor religious proclamations are allowed in the city.
“I cannot think of more things more politically controversial,” Gallagher said.
Clark Simon, who presented the proclamation to the city council, disagrees. He came to the council on Tuesday with supporters to push for approval.
“To showcase that Gastonia is a vibrant city that is welcoming,” Simon told Channel 9′s Ken Lemon.
Simon said since Gallagher’s speech last year, policymakers around the county have made supporting the LGBTQ+ community a political issue -- from bans on books and drag shows to preventing people from saying the word “gay” in schools.
He believes anti-gay public policy may become an issue in Gastonia, a city with one openly gay councilman.
“I believe a lot of our elected officials have good intent but there are a handful of them that put their religious beliefs above their sense of duty that they are elected to serve,” Simon told Lemon.
Simon believes any vote to block another Pride Month proclamation will only serve to galvanize his supporters.
“We’re not going anywhere. We do live here, and we should be recognized and appreciated as such,” Simon said.
Gallagher says Pride Month can be celebrated without being affirmed in an official proclamation.
Simon added that the city council did approve a proclamation in 2018 for Pride Month, with some of the same council members voting.
Late Tuesday, the special committee deferred a decision until next week.
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