North Kansas City official faces backlash for comparing sexual orientation to pedophilia
A North Kansas City Councilman is facing backlash after comparing pedophilia to sexual orientation during a hearing about a Pride Month inclusion initiative.
Councilman Wes Graves, 1st District, was addressing a proposal to create the “NKC United” pledge Tuesday night when he raised the lone voice of opposition. While saying he supported its intent, he said businesses and organizations choosing not to join could be harmed.
“Once you go down this road, where do you draw the line?” Graves said during the Tuesday meeting, his first in City Hall since being elected. “I mean, you could start bringing up pedophilia, Satan worshipers, etc. And once a city endorses something like this, we are talking about literally approaching places of worship and businesses as a city and having them make this pledge. And I don’t think this has any place in our city.”
He later apologized and said it was a series of ignorant and “really stupid” comments.
The words struck a chord with fellow council members and many in the community. In a statement Wednesday night, Mayor Bryant DeLong said the words Graves used were not reflective of the city. He said they were “appalling” and “hurtful.”
Under the proposal, North Kansas City organizations that opt in to accept a pledge of unity and diversity would be placed on a list and publicly featured by the city. Its member organizations would also get a sticker saying the location promotes diversity.
Endorsement of the pledge cleared the City Council 7-1. Graves was the sole “no” vote. He said he believes in democracy and agrees with the message of the pledge.
Graves said he wishes he could go back and prevent himself from saying anything that would have hurt anyone. He said he was unaware of the painful history of people from the LGBTQ community being characterized as pedophiles by anti-gay groups.
“I learned from it, I really did,” Graves said. “And moving forward, obviously, I will choose my words more carefully, because I don’t want to harm people. I don’t want to be divisive. And I don’t want to cause shame to my community that I love very much.”
He said he has received calls and death threats from people on social media and fears for the safety of himself, his wife and their two young children. He hopes people in the community and beyond will accept his apology and his desire to learn more and do better.
Graves also apologized to any Satan worshipers he offended, saying he fully recognizes and respects their civil rights as well.
This story was originally published June 17, 2021 at 9:24 AM.
