(PM.) Woke LGBTQ Americans are shocked to find out that the Muslim community does not support their values. Residents in the small town of Hamtramck, Michigan called the all-Muslim city council’s decision to ban Pride flags on city property an act of “betrayal.”
The city’s LGBTQ citizens are outraged by the council’s decision and have lambasted the city for not reciprocating support when their group reportedly vigorously campaigns for immigration rights in the US, according to the Washington Post.
The city of Hamtramck, which has a population of 28,000 people, and is known for its minority communities, became the first all-Muslim-led city in the United States last year when Muslim immigrant, Amer Ghalib, became Mayor. Hamtramck was predominately Polish before an influx of Muslim immigrants settled in the city within the past few years, the outlet reports.
Liberals were left stunned as Muslims & Islamists gathered on Tuesday to protest the Montgomery County (Maryland) School Board over its LGBTQ+ curriculum. The Muslims want to be able to remove their children from the classroom when that material is taught. pic.twitter.com/vgTai9erXQ
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) June 7, 2023
Catrina Stackpoole, a former council member who identifies as LGBTQ, called the council’s decision a “stab in the back.”
“We welcomed you,” Stackpoole said. “We created nonprofits to help feed, clothe, find housing. We did everything we could to make your transition here easier, and this is how you repay us, by stabbing us in the back?”
The unanimous decision to ban Pride flags on city property came during Pride month, which Stackpoole believes was calculated. However, Mayor Ghalib maintains that the LGBTQ community was not targeted and that the council banned all flags on city property with the exception of US, state, and city flags, as well as POW/MIA banners.
“We’re not targeting anybody,” Ghalib said when questioned about the vote. “We are trying to close the door for other groups that could be extremist or racist.”
But the outrage didn’t stop with Stackpoole, and Mayor Ghalib has been accused of lying.
Josh Hansknecht, a local middle school teacher and president of the, is another resident that isn’t buying Ghalib’s remarks, and said: “The sole purpose was absolutely to go after the gay pride flag.”
“The ban did not create the conflict, but it emboldened people. It expanded on that tension,” he said.
