LGBTQ activists are outraged after the mayor pro tem of a California desert city called for the local government to stop observing Pride Month.
Palm Desert Mayor Pro Tem Joe Pradetto suggested during a Dec. 16 council meeting that the city should reconsider hanging banners in support of Pride Month. Pradetto said the city should stay out of the private lives of its residents.
‘We must agree to a non-aggression pact. We can’t use the power of the state to punish those who disagree with us.’
He also said that some of the residents expressed concern that the banners showed preference by the city in favor of some residents against others.
The Palm Springs Pride group released a statement condemning the proposal.
“Discrimination is division. The city must unequivocally reject this harmful proposal and reinforce its commitment to being a truly open, diverse, and welcoming home for everyone,” they wrote in a statement.
On Tuesday, the city council voted against the proposal and will keep hanging banners.
In a comment emailed to Blaze News, Pradetto clarified that he had nothing against the LGBTQ community.
“America is divided, and it breaks my heart. Our current strategy of progressive identity politics is failing, and doubling down will only make it worse,” he wrote in part.
“When politics becomes about identity rather than policy, compromise becomes impossible,” Pradetto added. “The temperature rises. I can’t fix that throughout the nation, but I can start in my own city. That is why I proposed policy changes to focus on our similarities, rather than our differences, and remove group-specific banners from City Hall.”
RELATED: LGBTQ activists complain companies are caving to Pride Month backlash: ‘Scared to death’
He went on to say that the policies threatened the values of a pluralistic society.
“In a pluralistic society, you are safe to express who you are and what you believe in the public square. But we must agree to a non-aggression pact. We can’t use the power of the state to punish those who disagree with us,” Pradetto wrote.
“Although my proposal failed, I hope it encourages other officials to look at their policies because our current trajectory will divide us and render state power not as a governing structure but a blunt tool against those who disagree with you,” he concluded.
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