Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Comment Controversy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Public comment on Mukilteo LGBTQ proclamation sparks sharp criticism and defenses at council meeting
Summary
A public commenter delivered an extended, strongly worded critique of an LGBTQ‑related proclamation; other speakers defended the land‑acknowledgment and the newly read proclamation. Council did not take formal action on the remarks during the meeting.
During public comment at the June 1 Mukilteo City Council meeting, several residents spoke about the council’s proclamation related to LGBTQ residents and about the city’s land‑acknowledgment statement.
Sharon Damoff delivered an extended address opposing the proclamation and disputing gender‑identity concepts. In the meeting record she said, in part, that proclamations about “people’s *** lives” are inappropriate for the council to read and described inclusion of "T for trans" as "an absolute lie" and "harmful to kids." Damoff made multiple claims about gender identity, laws and harms; those claims were presented as her opinions and were not substantiated in the meeting transcript by council staff or cited authorities.
Other members of the public spoke in defense of the land‑acknowledgment and the proclamation. Elaine Knapp urged council not to diminish the land‑acknowledgment and argued that cutting it back would reward fear‑based complaints. Anne Windsor and others thanked the council for the LGBTQ proclamation and for supporting diversity.
Council did not take any formal policy action during the meeting on the matters raised during public comment. The remarks illustrate active disagreement in public comment over the council’s symbolic statements and the cadence of the land‑acknowledgment reading; the council previously altered the land‑acknowledgment cadence at a prior meeting, which members of the public referenced during comment.
