Newport special meeting to address LGBT community’s concerns after councilman’s email
In response to pushback from the LGBT community in Orange County over comments made last week by a councilman, the Newport Beach City Council will hold a special meeting Tuesday evening to reaffirm support for a diverse community.
Mayor Ed Selich called for the gathering, which will be held at 7 p.m., after he heard that gay rights advocates and members of the LGBT community planned to address the council to express their opposition to Councilman Scott Peotter’s statements about same-sex marriage.
Per California’s open meetings law, the council cannot take action on requests made during the public-comments segment if the issues addressed are not on the agenda.
“We know they’re going to be there to express their views and we know they’re going to want us to do something immediately,” Selich said. “This is a way for us to put something on the agenda so we can take an action that could potentially address their concerns.”
Peotter angered gay-rights leaders after he circulated an email July 6 that criticized same-sex marriage and the LGBT movement’s use of rainbow imagery. The message sent to constituents took issue with the illumination of the White House in rainbow hues after the June 26 Supreme Court ruling legalizing gay marriage nationwide.
Gay rights advocates responded by asking members of the gay community and those who support gay rights to speak to the council Tuesday night.
“His statement really affected a lot of people,” Kevin O’Grady, executive director of the LGBT Center OC, has said. “He needs to know there are consequences to his hate speech.”
Peotter has said he’s not homophobic but believes the Supreme Court should not have interfered with marriage laws.
Some Newport Beach residents and City Council members took issue with Peotter’s use of the city seal in his email blast. Selich requested that Peotter remove the emblem from all future emails in response to the outcry, and the councilman agreed.
In addition to reaffirming the city’s current policy that it doesn’t discriminate based on race, religion, gender and sexual orientation, the council will also weigh a resolution that could force council members who make statements based on personal beliefs or opinions to note that their declarations are not sanctioned by the municipality, according to Selich.
City Hall issued a statement last week distancing the city from Peotter’s views.
“The city welcomes and values its citizens, visitors and employees, irrespective of sexual orientation or marital status, and embraces Newport Beach’s place in a diverse and vibrant Southern California,” the statement reads.
The special meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at 100 Civic Center Drive. The regularly scheduled City Council meeting will immediately follow.