By Bob Kecskemety
Photo: Activist Stuart Milk and Attorney Miriam Richter at the meeting of the newly formed Coalition for Equality and Fairness.
Differences Split Wilton Manors into Two Camps
The announcement last week that Congressman Allen West will be speaking in front of the Wilton Manors Business Association deeply divided the residents and businesses in the city. So deeply, in fact, that earlier this week, the Congressman was disinvited by the board of WMBA.
West, who represents Wilton Manors east of Dixie Highway in the U.S. House of Representatives, was scheduled to speak at a meeting of the Wilton Manors Business Association (WMBA) on August 8 at the community center at Hagen Park in Wilton Manors.
Many in the gay community
were upset that West was invited to speak at a WMBA meeting considering West’s attitudes towards the gay community. West, a Republican, has been an outspoken critic of the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” which allows gays to openly serve in the U.S. military. West has also taken a stance against other pro-gay issues.
Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democrat, represents the city of Wilton Manors west of Dixie Highway and has been a favorite of the LGBT community for many years. A very small area of western Wilton Manors is represented by Congressman Alcee Hastings, who is also a Democrat.
The gay community has split as to whether or not West should be speaking at a WMBA meeting considering his stance on gay issues, while some believe it’s a matter of West’s freedom of speech. Many of those against West’s speaking had called for a boycott of businesses (gay and straight) that are members of WMBA should West speak, and a number of gay-owned businesses threatened to drop out of the business association if West attended the meeting.
Celeste Ellich, president of WMBA, says she was caught off-guard by the public’s reaction to West’s speaking to the group. Ellich told Florida Agenda that she was preparing a memo to the members of WMBA announcing that West would be speaking on August 8th and somehow the memo got released to the Sun-Sentinel prior to her sending it to the members via the organization’s newsletter – which hadn’t even been printed. Many WMBA members found out about West’s appearance when they read it in the newspaper or by emails sent out by members of the community.
Ellich explained that West’s office contacted WMBA about speaking before the organization last June and, when the original August speaker cancelled, she contacted the congressman’s office inviting him to attend.
“It’s not supposed to be about social issues,” Ellich told a group of WMBA members during a pre-planned lunch at Humpy’s Pizza.
“I don’t always agree with what he says either, but he is our Congressman and represents a section of Wilton Manors and he wants to speak before us. Maybe I’m naïve in thinking that we can all come together and he would be well-received. I had no idea this was going to happen.”
Also caught off-guard was the Wilton Manors City Commission. In a written statement, the Commission said “[They] would like to make clear that while they do not support Congressman West’s positions on equality for the GLBT community, the city is against the threatened action to call for a boycott of local businesses.” The statement was issued by Wilton Manors City Manager Joe Gallegos.
In the past, Ellich has volunteered her time helping out at gay-sponsored events in the city, such as the Stonewall Festival and Wicked Manors.
“I’m obviously a friend of the gay community and have been for years,” said Ellich at the Humpy’s gathering. “Everybody who knows me knows that I’ve worked on gay campaigns. To me, it’s not a gay/straight issue; it is a matter of happenstance.”
Now she is worried about her safety.
“I do feel bullied right now. Maybe that’s how the gay community has felt in the past, I don’t know. But I’ve been bullied, I’ve been threatened, I’m holding back tears, I’m trying not to get upset, trying to hold it together,” she said.
Some members of the gay business community are also stunned by the reaction, saying that it’s simply a matter of West practicing his right to free speech, while others have either already quit WMBA or are considering doing so.
Steve Dejong, owner of Humpy’s Pizza which hosted the recent WMBA lunch meeting, said that the lunch date was set long before the West controversy sprung up. He said that when West’s appearance was made public just the day before the WMBA lunch, he wasn’t sure that if there was going to be demonstrators in front of his restaurant. He was hoping that, during the lunch, Ellich would announce that West had cancelled or that the organization uninvited him.
Ellich closed her talk in front of the WMBA members with:
“I don’t want to hurt the association and, at this point, the congressman still wants to speak before the group. His chief of staff wants to make sure it’s just the association; he didn’t anticipate this being a giant circus for the Wilton Manors’ residents. He wanted it to be a business association meeting. That’s one of the things he works with is small businesses in his district. He wants questions about the debt, the economy and other business issues.”
“It wasn’t meant to do any harm, and I say that from my heart; that’s all I can say to you guys. I didn’t mean for anybody to be harmed, and I’m sorry if I did. The board has not made any decision to cancel this or disinvite this man. But he is a Congressman, he does want to speak and, at this point, that’s where it stands.”
However, over the weekend the furor of West’s scheduled appearance blossomed into almost a revolt between the two sides of the issue and, on Monday morning, Ellich cancelled the planned August 8th meeting fearing, hostilities over the possibility of demonstrating groups: those opposed to West’s appearance and those who favor his appearance.
Later on Monday, West’s office released a letter thanking WMBA for the invitation to speak and expressing his disappointment in the meeting’s cancellation.
“As I stated in my letter dated July 27, 2011,” wrote West, “as a member of the House Small Business Committee, I was looking forward to meeting with business owners to discuss issues such as access to capital, the national debt and the economy, as well as hearing directly from them on their concerns operating a business in South Florida.”
“Once again,” he ended his letter, “I am disappointed I will not be able to speak in front of the Wilton Manors Business Association; however, I will always stand-by to provide any assistance to all small business owners in Wilton Manors and
to all constituents of the 22nd Congressional District.”
WMBA President Celeste Ellich speaking before members at Humpy’s Pizza.
Later Monday evening, a group of concerned citizens formed The Coalition for Equality and Fairness to better help educate the general community on LGBT issues. They released the following statement:
“A non-partisan group of community and business leaders was formed today, entitled ‘The Coalition for Equality and Fairness (CEF)’, to create an organization designed to protect citizenship diversity and inhibit public officials from bullying the LGBT community in order to advance their own political and personal agendas.
“The first order of business for the CEF will be to conduct an open and public educational rally next Monday, August 8, at 6 p.m., in Wilton Manors, entitled ‘Allen West: In His Own Words’. Our purpose is not to censor anyone; it is to censure those who attempt to abuse us.
“The Coalition will be issuing a mission statement on Wednesday evening defining and articulating its purpose and objectives, at which time the venue for the community rally and gathering will also be announced.
“To participate in the rally or the initial organizing efforts of the CEF, please send an expression of interest to norm@normkent.com, coordinating outreach at the present time.”