ST. GEORGE — The City Council Chambers were packed Thursday evening as people filled the seats, stood along the wall and spilled out in the foyer where the proceedings could be viewed on television. Many there were members of the area’s LGBTQ community who came in response to a council member’s social media posts and rumors that a drag show to be held as a part of Pride Month was going to be shut down by the city.
The Facebook post
The incident that triggered the massive turnout was a message that the St. George Police Department posted Wednesday on its Facebook page that read, “No hate, Just love. Happy Pride from the St. George Police Department.”
Responses were swift and numerous from those who thanked the Police Department for its support of the Pride Month, to others who decried the post and said the department should stay away from identity politics.
Among the respondents to the post were two active St. George City Council members: Danielle Larkin and Michelle Tanner.
Larkin was supportive of the post, saying in part, “May we celebrate PRIDE MONTH in the spirit of healing and inclusion, honoring the right of every American to live authentically and freely.”
Tanner, however, questioned why the Police Department was promoting Pride Month.
“What does celebrating someone’s sexuality have to do with our police department? Who’s running this social media page and why are our tax dollars being spent to promote someone’s sexuality?” she posted.
This prompted a series of responses with one post accusing Tanner of bigotry while others said she was missing the point and being hateful. Others supported her stance and asked the same question of why the Police Department had chosen to post something about Pride Month.
While an exchange between Tanner and others was had over social media on Wednesday, rumors surfaced that St. George City officials were considering rejecting a previously approved permit granted for a drag show at the St. George Town Square set to take place Friday night.
The drag show is connected to the HBO series “We’re Here,” which is filming in St. George this week.
Rumors of someone in the city speaking against the drag show were confirmed soon after the council meeting’s conclusion when Tanner released a statement on Facebook detailing her concerns over the event’s location and how the permit was issued in the first place.
“You can threaten me and try to discredit me all you want, I will not be silenced,” Tanner wrote in the post. “There is a lot of misinformation in the community right now. Attached you will find my letter to the City Management of St. George which may provide some clarification as to how an HBO, rated TV-MA drag show is being held outside our public children’s museum and downtown children’s play area/Town Square.”
She adds that a mature program like “We’re Here” should be held in an “appropriate mature venue” rather than an area so close to St. George Children’s Museum and children-play areas of the Town Square in general.
A part of Tanner’s letter to City Manager Adam Lenhard notes that he warned of possible legal ramifications against individual members of the City Council should they choose to vote to rescind the special event permit for the drag show. Tanner’s response to this was “bring it on!”
“Contrary to some of the messages I have been receiving labeling me a ‘bigot’ etc for requesting that a TV-MA HBO show be held in an appropriate mature venue (not a children’s area), I actually support individual rights to live how you want to live,” Tanner further wrote in the Facebook post. “My brother is gay, I have friends who I love dearly who are gay and I have always supported them. Let’s not confuse the issues here.”
The entirety of Tanner’s letter to the city manager can be found at the end of this article.
‘All are welcomed here’
Concerns that the city may cancel the drag show prompted the nonprofit Pride of Southern Utah advocacy group to call for support for the event at the St. George City Council meeting held Thursday.
That call was answered en masse.
The parking lots at the St. George City Office and neighboring annex were full and cars lined the street as people poured into the council chambers.
For nearly an hour, several individuals approached the council and were given three minutes to speak. Of those who spoke, only two people spoke against the drag show and the promotion of Pride Month in general. The rest offered pleas to the City Council to allow the drag show to continue and show support for the LGBTQ community rather than condemnation.
Invites to council members to attend the event and get to know the local LGBTQ community better were repeatedly offered as well.
“Having this event sends a message that all are welcomed here. It’s not a political statement,” said Linda Stay, a longtime LGBTQ-plus advocate and mother of three gay children.
She went on the say the city welcomed the recent Ironman World Championship “without discriminating” and it was a proud moment. That sense of welcoming should extend to the LGBTQ-plus community, she said.
She also remarked on comments made in response to the St. George Police Department’s Facebook post.
“The comments there are just sickening to me,” Stay said.
Some who spoke to the council became emotional and said those in the LGBTQ community just wanted to belong, and do so without fear of reprisal or harm for simply being who they are.
“Some people think we are responsible for the downfall of society,” said August Carter Nelson, who identifies as a trans-man. He nervously shook in front of the council as he spoke and shared some of his own experiences.
“Being trans is something I have to deal with every single day, and I am terrified to stand in front of you and say that,” he said, adding, “If I don’t come up here, how else will people know there is a need for change? Being able to stand by and do nothing is not a luxury I am able to afford.”
Nelson said those who choose not to stand up and voice opposition to bigotry are lending their silent support to it.
“You’re letting queer people know you don’t care about what is happening to them,” he said. “You are the reason I am scared for my future.”
Regarding the “We’re Here” drag show set for Friday night, David Cordero, a spokesman for the city of St. George, said the city-approved permit for the event had not been rescinded and was being allowed to carry on as far as he was aware.
‘I felt proud’: Afterward
As the comment period concluded, a mass exodus flowed into the City Hall’s foyer and then outside where Nelson and two other meeting attendees shared their thoughts.
“It was a good turnout,” said Bryton Bonner, who identified himself as gender fluid and used male pronouns. “I felt proud to be a part of this community.”
Chris McArdle, a gay man who moved to St. George 20 years ago, said much the same while adding, “There’s so much love in our community and it astounds me that someone could possibly be against us gathering for anything. We stand for love and acceptance.”
Both McArdle and Nelson said they were surprised by the amount of LGBTQ individuals and allies who attended the council meeting.
“There are more queer people here than anyone thinks,” Nelson said.
As for the original event that triggered the mass attendance at the council meeting, McArdle mentioned Tanner’s social media post specifically.
“Her continuous abuse of power and her voice was astounding to me – that I have a representative who speaks like that to a marginalized community that just wants love,” he said.
Ed. note: The third and final page of Michelle Tanner’s letter to the Adam Lenhard, the St. George city manager, has been added below.
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