Councilman: Crude behavior undermined Pride Fest | News, Sports, Jobs – Martins Ferry Times Leader
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WHEELING — Councilman Ben Seidler took time during Tuesday’s Wheeling City Council meeting to voice objection to certain activities that took place during the recent Wheeling Pride Festival, noting that crude and explicit activities undermined what had been promoted as a family-friendly event.
“What happened on Saturday two weeks ago completely took away from the message of the festival,” Seidler said. “I am a big fan of people being who they are. You have the right to be who you are, to love who you love, and believe what you believe. It’s not my right to tell you that.”
However, Seidler said the “level of crudeness that happened two weeks ago” at the festival was inappropriate. Music that was played during certain events at the festival was profanity-laced with “appalling” messages, and video clips that Seidler said were too inappropriate to be played during the council meeting, let alone during a event – advertised as being supported in part by the city of Wheeling – that was touted as being “family friendly,” he said.
“My problem is not with the event,” he said. “In fact, I’m more disappointed that these events that happened took away from what that event was supposed to be.”
Seidler noted that this was not a city-sponsored event, although flyers around town had the City of Wheeling logo on them as being a supporter.
“This is an event on the waterfront where our kids are,” Seidler said, noting that some events are geared toward an adult audience, are ticketed and have alcohol consumption and other adult-oriented activities. “If you’re going to get a permit to use our waterfront in the city of Wheeling, there’s something that needs to happen – there needs to be some level of accountability – to make sure you’re not blasting music dropping ‘F’ bombs at the top of the speakers.”
Seidler said no one in the community should take his stance against these events out of context and try to use it as fuel to promote a hateful narrative.
“I have no problem with the event,” he stressed. “I have a problem with the content of the music played was blasted in front of kids. That can’t happen again. Part of this that really frustrates me as this all took away from the event. We as a city are the Friendly City.”
Seidler welcomed a guest speaker to further discuss the matter during the council meeting, Wheeling resident Angelica Radevski, who presented a slideshow that included some of the activities recorded during the Pride Festival.
Radevski showed clips of scantily clad drag queens being spanked publicly and even a video of a toddler walking up to put a dollar tip into the garter belt of a drag performer. Several children were in attendance, the photos showed.
“This is exactly what we are presenting to our children,” she said. “I have friends and family members who are gay and trans, but those friends and family members don’t take it out to the public and act like this and make children think it’s OK.”
Radevski displayed slides of quotes and photos that had “Ketchum” named at the bottom of several slides. However, Councilwoman Rosemary Ketchum – who has been a supporter of the LGBTQ community and was celebrated as West Virginia’s first openly transgender elected official – said she had nothing to do with the activities that took place at the festival and was not even involved with the organization of the event.
“I had nothing to do with the festival,” Ketchum said. “I wasn’t there.”
After Tuesday’s meeting, Ketchum described some of the allegations put forth in the presentation as “baseless.” Some comments conveyed a view alleging that LGBTQ messaging was becoming a central theme in the city of Wheeling.
“There were comments made alleging that, as an LGBTQ person, all we care about is LGBTQ community,” she said. “I really care a lot, but you’d be really hard-pressed to find a high count of how many times have I mentioned LGBTQ issues at this table. They are almost always lofted at us as members of council by these few community members. They have the right to believe what they believe, but they don’t have the right to lie and to mislead the public.”
Ketchum said some of the images shown during the presentation were crude, and some were not even taken in Wheeling.
“It was kind of shocking and offensive,” Ketchum said. “It’s unfortunate that we have that level of anger.”
Seidler noted that he brought these issues to the forefront during the public meeting because the city issues permits for events on the waterfront, and he stressed that something needs to be done during the permit application process to make sure certain music and activities do not take place during family events.