Commissioner Davis demands $$$ for pro-LGBT, anti-white tourism plan

By John Labriola - In a cringeworthy display of "woke" virtue-signaling, liberal Citrus County Commissioner Holly Davis last week trashed her recently deceased father as a racist while defending her support for a plan to spend $55,000 in hotel bed taxes on a "Diversity, Equity and Inclusion" (DEI) tourism advertising campaign to promote more LGBT and less white Christian family-oriented tourism to Citrus County. 

"My dad was born and raised in Forrest City, Arkansas, which is named after Nathan Bedford Forrest, founder of the Ku Klux Klan. I don't know if it was until the day he died, but at least until 10 years before he passed, he would actually say that an interracial couple was just trying to make noise and be noticed," said Davis, who congratulated herself on overcoming her father's views. "I now actually have black friends, and I didn't go out hunting them! I'm not trying to make sure I have my diversity in my group; I just naturally became friends with some black folks. I treat 'em like regular people!" (See video HERE.)

Davis' father, Capt. Tom Davis, died on Dec. 14 at age 95. A Korean War Navy combat fighter pilot, Capt. Davis was a lifelong aviator who led the years-long fight for improvements to the Crystal River airport, which was renamed Captain Tom Davis Field in 2014 in his honor.

Commissioner Davis' disparaging remarks about her father came during an April 12 meeting of the Tourist Development Council (TDC). Davis, who serves as the TDC's chairwoman, was responding to objections to the DEI plan from residents attending the meeting and used her father as evidence of why Citrus County needs to push diversity harder. The DEI program was unanimously approved by the TDC earlier this year as a recommendation to the Citrus County Commission, but the full commission has not yet taken up the proposal, which requires its approval. 

Diversity, equity and inclusion have become leftist code words for "woke" sexual and racial identity politics, race-based preferences, and victim-oppressor narratives. While Davis admitted the words have become "heavily politicized," she implied opposition to the DEI marketing plan was based on racism, bigotry and a desire to make Citrus County a "theocracy."

"There seems to be an attitude that we live in a theocracy. We do not make decisions up here based on religious principles, at all. We make business decisions to benefit our local economy. We all need to try to give a little to get along, and that includes making room for people of all different sexual preferences, colors, ages, genders, wheelchair, non-wheelchair, etc.," said Davis, who has previously courted public outrage by promoting "LGBT Pride Month" propaganda displays targeting children in Citrus County libraries. "Do not think for a moment that if we produce all families that are the typical nuclear white Christian heterosexual families that we can market that way. We need to have more brown people in our advertising!" 

Davis' condescending, white-guilt-laden rant left residents stunned and angry.

Mike O'Connell of Floral City said Davis owes him and his wife, who both spoke at the TDC meeting, an apology for implying they are racists for opposing DEI marketing. 

"While at it, I want to get clarification on how many genders there are since she stated that she is welcoming to 'all' genders," he said. 

Representatives of Madden Media, the marketing agency Citrus County has been using for its tourist advertising, presented a slideshow on their proposed DEI videoshoot at the TDC's January meeting. According to the slideshow, which featured several homosexual couples, the shoot would focus on LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, etc.), BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), disabled travelers, "blended families" and solo travelers. 

Madden Media has experience producing LGBT advertising for Citrus County. In 2016, the county paid the firm $4,400 to place an ad in Visit Florida magazine inviting homosexual and "transgender" travelers to visit Crystal River.

TJ Fletcher, Madden Media's director of business development, told TDC members that video and still images from the proposed new shoot would be published in the OutCoast homosexual online travel magazine and also would be used in the county's general-audience advertising to promote Citrus County as an LGBT-friendly, "diverse" tourist destination. Citrus County Visitors Bureau Sales & Marketing Manager Terry Natwick said the content could also appear on a "DEI landing page" on the bureau's website at discovercrystalriverfl.com. 

The proposal has local residents up in arms.

"I cannot imagine any family with children of any age checking out Crystal River online and seeing the photos of same-sex couples hanging on each other, make a decision to come to the area. Even people that don't have a real problem with that are not going to expose their children. It's such a tiny percentage compared to regular families that make up tourism business," said Doug Formsma, who also attended last week's TDC meeting. "If I had a family, I would avoid the area. As a retired white, straight Christian, I would pass on Crystal River and vacation somewhere else. If they think this will encourage tourists to visit the area, I think the opposite will occur."

Formsma said it's ironic that Citrus County officials are discussing remarketing the county as a queer, woke destination in light of Bud Light's recent LGBT public relations fiasco. The beer brand's parent company Anheuser-Busch lost more than $6 billion in market value after it hired "transgender" influencer Dylan Mulvaney as a company spokesperson to market the beer as "inclusive."

O'Connell urged county officials to drop their DEI plan.

"Let's stick to advertising to all people regardless of who they've been having sex with," he told TDC members. "If you continue to market to homosexual groups, you are explicitly excluding Christians. Which market is greater?"

Residents who want to share their thoughts about the county's proposed $55,000 LGBT/DEI advertising campaign can contact commissioners at the email addresses below. 

Holly Davis <holly.davis@citrusbocc.com>, Ruthie Schlabach <ruthie.schlabach@citrusbocc.com>, Rebecca Bays <rebecca.bays@citrusbocc.com>, Diana Finegan <diana.finegan@citrusbocc.com>, Jeff Kinnard <jeff.kinnard@citrusbocc.com>

Residents also can share their feedback during the "Open to the Public" section at the beginning of the next county commission meeting on Tuesday, April 25, at 1 p.m. at the Citrus County Courthouse, 110 N. Apopka Ave., Inverness, FL 34450.