LGBTQ Pride Brings Out--Men's Fear?
LGBTQ Pride Month provoked conflict and animosity. A high school student saw fear underlying the antagonism.
LGBTQ Pride Month in June prompted an array of displays of anxiety in Milford, as Taylor James described at the August Delaware Valley Action! meeting. He noted the scaling of a Milford mountainside on Mother’s Day to hang a banner announcing that “Proud Boys” “are everywhere.”
“You’d need climbing gear to hang it halfway up the face of the mountain,” said James, who removed it. He is executive director of Triversity Center for Gender and Sexual Diversity.
He also said that Pride flags hung at businesses were stolen.
“Businesses have videos of a man stealing them,” he said.
When he asked the Pike County Commissioners to pass an LGBTQ Pride proclamation for the month of June, they had agreed, James said, but the proclamation was never passed.
At a June commissioners’ meeting, he said, “Twenty or more people protested the proclamation. They called LGBTQ people pedophiles and other insults. Three Proud Boys were there. A guy outside from Wayne Bank said we were abominations. I met with the bank president. He said the employee had to go through diversity training. He’s the first person you see when you come in the door.”
James identified him as Antonio Perito. On his LinkedIn profile, Perito describes himself as, “Relationship Banker with a deep passion for community service and forming real deep relationships with customers and community members.” He was previously a funeral director, according to the profile.
Kristen Lancia, Wayne Bank Vice President and Marketing Manager responded to this reporter’s inquiry about the diversity training. Asked whether all were required to take it, how long it is, whether it addresses LGBTQ issues and whether any research indicates the training works, Lancia only provided a statement:
Wayne Bank is dedicated to providing a welcoming and safe atmosphere for our customers and employees at all times. We provide all people exceptional service and a positive experience. Per privacy regulations, we cannot comment on or disclose any specific employee information. But, we are committed to upholding our Code of Conduct and Business Ethics Policy, which states that ‘A bank’s reputation, prestige and standing in the community is primarily determined by the conduct and ethical standards of its officers, directors, and employees.’ . . .”
Asked about the commissioners’ decision not to pass the Pride proclamation, Pike County Commissioner Matt Osterberg said, “The concern I had was that the temperature in the room was getting too hot. People were uncomfortable.”
Elsewhere, objects were thrown at Triversity visitors.
“Someone threw a bottle at me at Turkey Hill while I was pumping gas and called me a faggot,” said James.
Meanwhile, a few Proud Boys representatives have attended Delaware Valley School District Board of Education meetings where they supported book bans, James said.
A senior at Delaware Valley High School last year noticed boys’ animosity toward trans students.
“The older generation needs to have personal experience with different kinds of people, without fear of being judged,” said Page Gualandi, who graduated in June. “Men are afraid of risking their masculinity if they support LGBTQ people.”
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