Citrus County Commission betrays Christian conservatives

By John Labriola -

A divided Citrus County Commission betrayed the county's Christian voters last week by refusing to stop taxpayer-funded LGBT propaganda displays in our county libraries, despite impassioned and compelling pleas from a standing-room-only crowd at the Jan. 4 commission meeting. 

By a 3-2 vote, the commission rejected a motion by Chairman Ron Kitchen, which was seconded by Commissioner Scott Carnahan, to prohibit LGBT promotional displays in the libraries. Commissioners Holly Davis, Jeff Kinnard and Ruthie Schlabach all voted against Kitchen's motion, thus allowing the displays to continue. 

The decision came more than half a year after two elaborate, slogan-laden LGBT displays with rainbow flags in the Inverness and Crystal River libraries in celebration of "Gay Pride Month" last June generated intense public opposition, which intensified as county staff insisted the displays would continue despite the many complaints. 

Before they voted, commissioners heard hours of testimony from dozens of concerned citizens and experts who demanded an end to LGBT ideological colonization of Citrus County. 

Susan Constantine-Perfido, a human behavior specialist, shared the heartbreaking story of her daughter, who was lured into transsexualism by an LGBT propaganda display in a library. 

"In just a few weeks, she morphed from a sweet, easygoing kid into an angry, defiant, belligerent person whom I don't even know," she said. 

Patrick Sullivan of Beverly Hills rejected LGBT activists' comparison of homosexuality to race and cited the example of a friend who came out of the homosexual lifestyle when he became a Christian. 

"Skin color you can't change; homosexuality you can," Sullivan said. "If we're going to put up a display promoting a sinful lifestyle, why not put up a display about how fun alcoholism is? We're in a war for the minds of our children. We shouldn't be afraid to say this is wrong."

Steve Moline of Hernando stressed the negative mental and health consequences of homosexuality, in addition to the Bible's strong condemnation of it as a sin.  

"It's not a lifestyle, but a death style," Moline said. "This is not a civil rights issue. Instead, it's an expanding social disorder and a personal health issue. People who see a government entity like yourselves giving recognition or promotion to once-outlawed practices may be drawn into them as acceptable. They are not told how dangerous that behavior may become."

Kitchen and Carnahan both came out strongly in favor of protecting Citrus County taxpayers from being forced to subsidize a political-sexual ideology they find morally objectionable. 

"When county tax dollars are being used to promote a lifestyle, that's the county endorsing a lifestyle," Kitchen said. 

Added Carnahan: "If you want to do these things, do them behind closed doors. When it comes to kids, enough's enough. We cannot let the nation steer this community into somewhere we don't want to be. We're not saying take anything out of the library, but these displays are not something we need to be doing." 

Far-left Commissioner Holly Davis, who has made homosexual activism the centerpiece of her tenure on the commission, argued aggressively in favor of the "gay pride" displays, and she reiterated her repulsive support for the use of Citrus County tax dollars to groom children into homosexuality and gender dysphoria. 

"I do believe there is a need for a small tasteful pride display for the kids," she said to gasps from the audience. (See video clip HERE.)

As the discussion drew to a close, Commissioner Kinnard said he would support Kitchen's motion, drawing applause from the audience. But just minutes later, in a shocking about-face, he inexplicably voted against it. (See video above.) Kinnard's last-minute betrayal of his word went against his own public comments on the issue over the past several months, when he consistently stated that he was opposed to library displays celebrating alternative sexual lifestyles. (See video montage HERE.)

Before voting no, Commissioner Schlabach said she didn't understand why the commission was discussing the LGBT displays because she thought staff had addressed the issue. It wasn't clear what Schlabach meant, since Library Director Eric Head has insisted that the LGBT displays will return this June unless the commission orders him to stop. 

Despite her professed confusion, Schlabach left the door open for reconsideration. 

"If it comes June and we're seeing staff is not listening, then maybe we really need to pick this policy apart and find out how to correct this problem," Schlabach said. 

The commission's failure to do the right thing left citizens feeling disrespected and insulted, but not defeated. 

"The community took time out of their schedule to go there and the majority spoke, and they disregarded that," said Bev Kilmer, president of Freedom Speaks Coalition and a former Florida state representative. 

Despite their anger and disappointment, many residents say they feel more fired up and determined than ever to get more involved in the fight to save Citrus, and last week's huge show of force was just the beginning.

Petitions are already circulating urging the commission to fix what it got wrong. Click HERE to sign the petition today.