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Local social worker urges council to acknowledge federal actions he says erase LGBTQIA history
Summary
During public comment, a Troy clinical social worker said federal removals from certain government pages and sites have erased LGBTQIA contributions and urged the council to acknowledge the harm, without asking for a specific council action.
Joey Colby, a clinical social worker who practices in Troy, used the Feb. 24 public-comment period to urge acknowledgment of recent federal actions he said removed LGBTQIA-related content from government web pages and cultural sites.
Colby said the removals—he referenced travel.gov and National Park/Stonewall references—constitute erasure of LGBTQIA people and history and inflict harm on clients and young people who look for affirmation. He explicitly said he was not requesting a city resolution or statement; instead he asked that the moment be seen and acknowledged by the council.
Council members offered personal expressions of sympathy and acknowledgment. Council member Chamberlain Kringa and others told Colby he was seen and heard; the council did not take formal action in response.
The comments were delivered during the public-comment portion of the meeting and did not prompt a vote or staff direction in the public record.
