One Orlando Alliance, a coalition of LGBTQ groups formed in the wake of the Pulse nightclub massacre, has rescinded a job offer for Patricia Todd, the out, retiring Alabama lawmaker who ignited a firestorm in that state by suggesting anti-LGBTQ Governor Kay Ivey is gay.
Tweeted Todd on Wednesday: “Will someone out her for God’s sake….I have heard for years that she is gay and moved her girlfriend out of her house when she became Gov. I am sick of closeted elected officials.”
Ivey’s spokesperson rushed out a response following Todd’s Tweet: “This is a disgusting lie being pushed by a paid liberal political hack. There is absolutely no truth to it.”
The spokesperson, Debbee Hancock, called Todd “a professional paid left-wing political activist.”
AL.com reports: “Todd, Alabama’s first openly gay state lawmaker, was set to become executive director of the One Orlando Alliance — a group formed in wake of the Pulse nightclub shooting in 2016 — on June 1.”
One Orlando Alliance board chair Jennifer Foster released a statement: “After careful deliberation, the board of directors of One Orlando Alliance unanimously decided to retract the offer of employment made to Patricia Todd to serve as executive director of the organization. The board affirms that Ms. Todd’s recent comments are not aligned with the values of One Orlando Alliance. We strongly believe that coming out is a personal choice and we do not support involuntarily outing.”
Said Christopher Cuevas of Latinx, one of the groups in the coalition: “Weaponizing queerness through the act of outing others is a violation of the sacred rite that we as queer people undergo in our journey of self discovery. It is a form of psychic and emotional violence; a violence that robs one of their ability to self-actualize and manifest their truth; a violence that hinders the fostering of fellowship and community; a violence that calls into question our ability to see the value in trusting others with our authentic self. When our humanity is violated in this way, how can we find space to begin healing in self and to promote the healing and growth of others?”