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Ryan Webb, a 46-year-old councilman from Delaware, Indiana, has come under fire for identifying as a lesbian woman of color in a gesture of mockery to the LGBTQIA+ community. He made the announcement via a long Facebook post on April 12, 2023.
Webb is a right-leaning conservative councilman who has infuriated Democrats and liberals across the country with his bizarre and disrespectful skit. He wrote in the post that he had decided to come out after a lot of consideration and feel comfortable in his true authentic self. Webb identified himself as transgender and transracial, adding:
“I guess this would make me gay/lesbian as well, since I am attracted to women.”
The 46-year-old councilman is married to Brandy Webb and shares five children with her. However, he noted that he would continue to use “he/him” pronouns and would not change his name. At a council meeting held on Tuesday, April 25, members of the local LGBTQIA+ community demanded in front of the council members that Ryan Webb resign from his post.
One Twitter user, @ValerieGoldst17, said that the situation was getting "insane." However, it is unclear whether this user spoke for the LGBTQ+ community or against their ideologies.
Ryan Webb receives backlash after mock-identifying as a lesbian woman of color
Soon after Webb made the Facebook post, people from the LGBTQ community began to condemn him for mocking the people from this already marginalized community who had to go through many struggles.
People were not only furious at the 46-year-old councilman for ridiculing the trans community but also because he made a joke about being a person of color when he himself is white.
At a city council meeting last Tuesday, Charlize Jamieson, a transwoman, stood before the council and said that she would sing Ryan Webb’s praises if he was serious about his statement of coming out. Jamieson added:
“But instead, I know better. We all do. I know better because of his history of making hateful anti-trans statements on social media and disrespecting one’s pronouns. He has, purposely, and intentionally, misgendered me, ridiculing my own gender identity. That is not something transgender people do to one another.”
After several other speakers from the LGBTQ+ community spoke in the meeting and demanded Ryan Webb’s immediate resignation, the councilman said that they did not have the right to question him or ask for proof from him. He fired back at the community members and added:
“You were part of the movement that helped establish these rules and set the bar, OK? You don’t get to come later when someone else joins the club that you don’t want in … You don’t get to question how I identify.”
Ryan Webb continued his skit even after the council meeting and took to Facebook to share several posts. In one of them, he wrote that he received words of support and encouragement from a lot of people. Many right-wingers grasped Ryan Webb's mockery and played along by sending their positive words of support to the councilman.
