A few weeks ago, at the League of Women Voters Candidates Forum, Mark Hanson, a Republican candidate for Bowling Green City Council, shared blatantly discriminatory opinions about the LGBTQ+ population. Hanson’s words were undoubtedly repugnant for any person with a conscience to hear. While I have no desire to even dignify Hanson’s words by describing them in any detail, he made it clear that he does not believe LGBTQ+ individuals have the right to live authentic and equal lives according to their sexual orientation and gender identity.
Although Hanson has the right to believe whatever he wants to believe, his viewpoints have no place on the Bowling Green City Council, or for that matter, in any elected office on this planet. The fact that Hanson was endorsed by the Wood County and Bowling Green Republican Party says all you need to know about the values and principles, of lack thereof, of those political organizations. The silence of every single elected official associated with those organizations demonstrates a willingness to either look the other way, or worse, condone Hanson’s bigotry. These are polarized times, and I believe we need to have civil conversations and recognize the humanity of all people, but any political organization that allows for homophobia and transphobia to occur among its endorsed candidates must be called out for what it is, despicable.
Jordan Wilfong
Bowling Green
