San Antonio Councilwoman Elisa Chan has issued her first public statement since a staff meeting recording emerged of her calling gays and lesbians 'disgusting' and unfit to be parents.
The comments were recorded during a closed meeting over a possible
update to the city's nondiscrimination ordinance to protect sexual
orientation and gender identity.
"The comments from the staff meeting on
May 21st were and are my personal opinions and thoughts as guaranteed to
me by the 1st amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It is unfortunate
that a former member of my D9 Council team betrayed the trust of my
staff members and me. I will fight, I will always fight for our freedom
of speech, especially in a private setting."
While Chan's remarks have been condemned by Mayor Julian Castro and
others, she has receieved backing from the San Antonio based Justice
Foundation, a non-profit law firm that advocates for limited government
and freedom of religious expression. Allan E. Parker, president of the
Justice Foundation, defended Chan and warned that the proposed ordinance
would criminalize those who express their opposition to homosexuality:
"I'm glad she's not resigning and I'm
glad she's standing by her right to have her own opinion," said Parker.
"That's the issue in this case. Will we be able to disagree in San
Antonio or is one side going to be criminalized?"
One has to wonder if Chan and the Justice Foundation would still be
the 'champions' of freedom of speech they claim to be if a fellow
councilmember had directed animus towards Chan's ethnicity or gender...
Once again Councilwoman Chan, you are entitled to free speech but you are also not immune from the consequences of your speech.
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