My husband, Dale, and I were both born in Keene in 1958 and grew up here. My father was a business owner for over 50 years and was a three-term Keene City Councilor. Dale’s father taught industrial arts at the Keene Jr. High, and to this day, many comment on how they still have the toolbox they made in his class.
We came back to Keene in 2009, when my father fell ill, and I then moved my business, Wondrous Roots, to Roxbury Street.
I was present at the KCC PLD meeting on Wednesday, July 9, when the petition from Keene Pride to receive some kind of protected status distinction under city law — which remained completely vague but started out as being named a “sanctuary city” for the LGBTQ+ community — was brought before the committee.
What stood out to me above anything else as the meeting wore on is that this is not about LGBTQ+ at all; well, except as it forms the larger argument against the presidency of Donald J. Trump and opposition to everything the current White House stands for and, in New Hampshire, the Statehouse.
This isn’t about marginalized, persecuted citizens; it’s about politics. This is far left progressive socialism, “Hate America First,” plain and simple. I know that not all non-heterosexuals fall into this camp, so forgive me if I seem to lump you into one lot. I am talking about the overall collective spirit in Keene among this community.
From testimony of individuals regarding completely unfounded fears of needing to plan “escape routes” and “fleeing for safety” when they are hunted down (and so in need of protective promises from our city government) to two white, male, married, heterosexual city councilors all but coming out and apologizing for being white, male, married, and heterosexual; to stern admonitions to see where we all register on the homophobia scale; to various clergy and other sympathizers chiming in with pathos that would put a tragic thespian to shame, this is all about moving the City of Keene further to the left of left on the political spectrum.
Holding your political views is your right. But your political views deserve no more special protective status in this city than do mine; an unapologetic, proud, patriotic, white, heterosexual, married woman, who used to think “this is my town, too.”
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