Baker City Mayor Matt Diaz, left, and Councilor Beverly Calder during the city council meeting Tuesday, June 27, 2023.

The controversy over Baker City Mayor Matt Diaz’s recent personal Facebook post depicting Pride flags arranged to depict a swastika, and his subsequent defense of his decision to share the internet meme, continued during an occasionally heated city council’s regular meeting Tuesday evening, June 27 at City Hall.

Councilor Beverly Calder made three motions, including one asking Diaz to resign from the council.

All three motions failed.

Diaz declined calls from several citizens who made public statements during the meeting and urged him to resign.

Three people, including Diaz’s wife, Miranda, spoke in his support.

The discussion during the public comment period near the start of Tuesday’s meeting was heated at times, with Calder temporarily leaving her seat on the podium and sitting in the audience.

Calder’s motion to compel Diaz to resign as mayor failed 4-2. Calder and Councilor Ray Duman voted for the motion. Diaz and Councilors Dean Guyer, Nathan Hodgdon and Johnny Waggoner Sr. voted no.

(Councilor Jason Spriet was absent Tuesday.)

Calder’s motion, in addition to compelling Diaz to resign, called for the city to “create an opportunity to partner with organizations representing communities targeted and harmed by bigotry.”

Calder made a motion for the council to make it a goal to improve communication and citizen engagement to foster an environment of inclusivity into the opening message of each meeting of the council.

That motion failed by 3-3 vote, with Calder, Hodgdon and Duman in favor, and Diaz, Guyer and Waggoner opposed.

Calder’s third motion was for the council to post a statement of solidarity and support for all LGBTQ+ and Jewish members of the community, in addition to all others who have been marginalized, on the opening page of the city website.

That motion did not receive a second.

Diaz, whom the council elected as mayor on April 11, replacing Calder, said he is a unique position. He encouraged people to talk to him personally.

“Just because I’m in a unique position doesn’t mean that I’m not approachable,” Diaz said. “And for all the talk about my judgmental post, there has been a lot of judgment over the last ten days about who I am without coming to talk to me about it. You probably don’t know this because of that judgment, but I am a very approachable person and not one person has come to talk to me about that post.”

Diaz said he is willing to sit down with anyone who wants to talk.

“And I’m not saying that we have to agree on everything, because we probably won’t,” he said. “But if you want to sit down and have a conversation with me, you know how to reach me.”

Calder contested Diaz’s claim that no one has tried to contact him, saying that someone had done so earlier in the day.

Diaz apologized for his error, and acknowledged that one person had talked with him earlier Tuesday, asking him to resign.

Councilors did vote to include a statement supporting diversity, equality and inclusion on the city’s website.

Diaz supporters

Christopher Wiseman of Baker City said everyone has a right to their own opinion.

“This town is a town of 18 churches. There’s 10,000 people in this town, that’s about 555 per church that support this community. This is a very religious community,” Wiseman said.

He said he believes people won’t “stand for Christ any more, they won’t speak out for him, it’s not popular. You can speak up for all these other denominations, all these other groups, but you’re not allowed to say that you’re a Christian any more and I don’t want to see Christians canceled.”

Wiseman said he started getting involved in the issue when he found books in a Harney County school that depicted “graphic scenes between homosexuals.”

“It was very upsetting,” he said. “It took a lot of work, a lot of time and talk with that school board to get that book removed from just the high school. I know it’s here, I know it’s in the library, I know it’s in the kids section.”

Wiseman said he is grateful that somebody is standing up for him and for other people. He didn’t specifically mention Diaz. Prior to the public comment period, audience members were asked to address the entire council rather than individual members.

Diaz’s wife, Miranda, read from a Facebook post by Salem Djembe, in response to an article in The Oregonian about Matt Diaz’s post.

“I am an openly transgender person,” the post reads. “I’ve never hid who I am from anyone, not the left not the right, or the ‘down-home’ center. As such I can tell you that Matt Diaz has a heart of gold. I’ve spent a vast amount of time with Matt Diaz, I know who he is and what he stands for. It is my belief, based on interpersonal one on one with Matt that he truly loves me and the LGBT community — and like me — is sick of the cancel culture, the ‘everything disagreeable is racist’ culture, and the agenda’s that are infiltrating children worldwide forcing them to learn about things that are not age appropriate for children such as politics, sexuality, and inappropriate literature in public and school libraries.”

Matt Diaz said on Wednesday morning that Djembe is a “close friend. We met through Harvest Church and she regularly attended the Bible study my wife and I hosted in our home.”

Robyn Hodgdon, wife of Councilor Nathan Hodgdon, said she believes “cancel culture” is destroying communities.

“I understand that there are very deep wounds and there is confusion,” Robyn Hodgdon said. “I felt these things myself because of neurodiversity in my own family, I get it. But when we come at these issues with a position of retaliation rather than resolution, we all lose.”

She said she does not believe anyone benefits from retaliation and, regardless of opinions or personal convictions, all should be free to speak without retaliation.

“We don’t have to agree on all things to find a way forward,” Robyn Hodgdon said. “We do have to come from the same place, I believe, a place of reason and of grace because there is no one in this room or in this world for that matter, that is not in need of profound grace.”

She said no one should be told they cannot feel what they feel and advocate for themselves and those they love.

“But I would ask everyone here, whatever feelings they may have, to remember that if one is silenced, it is just that much easier to silence another. It is not us versus them, it is just us,” Hodgdon said.

Shawn Peterson said he doesn’t fully disagree with Diaz’s comments. Peterson referenced legislation in California that he said would “strip parents’ rights if they refuse to affirm their child’s gender identity.”

“I don’t know what ages this is, but most people according to research I’ve seen, that have left the home, come out in gender confusion, added to a total of 80%,”Peterson said.

He encouraged people to research transgenderism and “what it does to children.”

Criticism

The Rev. Cynthia Wunder of the First Presbyterian Church in Baker City was the first citizen to address councilors Tuesday. Wunder said there is no skill more conducive to a healthy community than the ability and willingness to listen to one another.

“I’ve been trying to wrap my head around the ideas promoted by our mayor, that the LGBTQ community is colluding to oppress and subvert all of us CIS-gendered and heterosexual people,” Wunder said. “And the absurdity of that thought just boggles my mind.”

She said the LGBTQ people she knows, who are friends and family, are some of the “kindest, most considerate people I have ever met.”

“What I have learned from them is they want the same things as anyone else; they want to be safe, they want to have homes, they want to have family and friends and they want to be safe,” Wunder said. “They want to have jobs, they want to have children, they want to have all sorts of activity and creativity in their lives. They want to have meaning, a purpose, and they want to be safe.”

To demonize and vilify any segment of the population, Wunder said, is to lead “with violence in our hearts.”

“We are setting people up to act on that,” she said. “There are studies that demonstrate that when we vilify a segment of our population, it increases violence. That you chose to go there days before the Pride parade, when all sorts of people and children would be out there marching, shocks me.”

Dan McQuisten cited a section on the city’s website that states the city council represents the voice of the community.

“You folks that are up here, you’ve asked to be involved in our community by taking a special role of leadership and being that voice for all of us as a Baker City councilor. I’m here to ask that you reflect on what that responsibility involves for all of us,” McQuisten said.

He also noted that the city has an equal opportunity employment policy and “claims to follow state and federal” anti-discrimination laws.

McQuisten asked the council to consider its sincerity in meeting that standard.

Marie Taylor, a member of the LGBTQ community, addressed the swastika image that Diaz shared on his Facebook page.

“Nazism is not a joke or a metaphor. It’s a real thing that happened in history wherein millions of people died and changed the world forever,” Taylor said. “These kinds of comparisons downplay the horrors of Nazi Germany. For those unfamiliar with the topic, many among those jailed or genocided were queer people. Queer literature burned. Queer people sent to concentration camps for fear that we were a threat and degenerates.”

Taylor also addressed Diaz’s written statement in response to criticism about his sharing the swastika image, in which he wrote that the “ ‘woke’ ideology is being propagandized and militantly forced on American society and culture using the same psychological tactics used by the Nazi party in the 1930s-1940s.”

“It was later stated that the post in question was actually about ‘woke ideology,’ ” Taylor said. “Fighting for basic human rights is not fascism. My existence is not an ideology. With anti-LGBTQ legislation and violence ramping up, at the end of the day this rhetoric isn’t hurting ideas, it’s hurting people. And whether you like it or not, we’re here to stay and we will continue to fight to make sure that progress is not lost.”

Taylor said she was not accusing Diaz or anyone else of being a fascist, but that the rhetoric “clearly contributes to the stigmatization of queer folk no matter what the original intention was.”

She said something so “callous and ignorant, a man so callous and ignorant has no business running our community” and she believes Diaz should resign as mayor.

Vicki Johnson said she doesn’t think it’s relevant that Diaz shared the post on his personal Facebook page rather than one representing the city.

“This is obviously what was believed and reported which is unfortunate to those in our community who are the brunt of this immature, character-exposing behavior trait,” Johnson said. “It not only degrades the LGBTQ community, but also the individual of Jewish faith and all of the minorities that were targeted by the Nazis.”

She said a true leader must demonstrate exemplary behavior in public and private.

“It is a pathetic excuse for a leader to defend and deflect his inappropriate behavior as a misunderstanding. Your apology was nothing more than a pseudo attempt to justify your behavior,” Johnson said.

Jess Defrees told councilors her sister-in-law is the communications director for the Northwest Jewish Federation in Seattle.

“She shared with me, when I reached out to her about my concerns, that today anti-semetic incidents in the U.S. are the highest level in over 40 years,” Defrees said. “Many in the Jewish in the community feel unsafe to outwardly appear as Jewish or identify as Jewish in public spaces. This rhetoric is so damaging to those who identify not only as Jewish, as LGBTQ, minors in our community.”

She also shared, according to the FBI, hate crimes against individuals because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, “make up almost a quarter of hate crimes in 2021.”

“We are committed to ensuring that Baker is a safe, a thriving, and welcoming city for people with all different ideas and values. And we deserve a mayor and council who is committed to this as well,” Defrees said.

Jeana Phillips requested Diaz resign, saying his actions and words are not representative of Baker City or Baker County.

“The level of hate that has been escalating across our country, unfortunately, has not escaped our county,” Phillips said.

Alice Trindle said she was appalled by Diaz’s behavior and statements.

“He should resign his position and he should resign from the council,” Trindle said.

She said he has individual rights to post on his personal social media accounts and his opinions.

“It crosses a line of his responsibilities as a public servant in the capacity of a council person and or mayor when his personal actions violently discriminate against a variety of people, religions, and the demonstration of human compassion,” Trindle said,.

Susan Triplett, a citizen of Baker County, expressed her “utter dismay” at the recent behavior of the city mayor.

“While I’m not a resident of Baker City, I hope the council and the mayor will act upon this request calling for his resignation,” Triplett said.

She said that although Diaz is entitled to his personal opinions, he must be “vigilant about maintaining equity for all people as a public servant.”

Triplett said the word “woke” is an adjective derived from the African-American English meaning “alert to racial prejudices and discrimination.”

Victoria Royal said they have been proudly out as non-binary for a few years.

“As a recent transplant to Baker City, I was horrified to learn of the mayor’s post and subsequent comments doubling down on his statements,” Royal said.

Royal said “you cannot equate a minority population to their oppressor” and that pride is not an ideology.

“Pride is a celebration of our continued existence,” Royal said. “Pride is a testament to those who came before us who bravely stood in the face of those who wished us dead. Pride is remembering those who refused their own extermination and I do not use those terms lightly.”

Royal experienced verbal harassment on the way to the Baker City Pride Walk on June 23.

“I experienced my first brush with direct bigotry. It did not stop me from participating in the walk, but it did make me feel unsafe in this community,” Royal said.

Royal implored the council to remove Diaz as mayor.

Calder seeks Diaz’s resignation

Calder reiterated her call for Diaz to resign from the council.

Per the Baker City charter, the councilors, not voters, choose the mayor. On Jan. 3 of this year councilors picked Calder as mayor. The council voted 4-2 on April 11 to remove that title, after Guyer criticized Calder for writing a letter to the editor of the Baker City Herald questioning City Manager Jonathan Cannon’s performance regarding the city budget.

Later in that meeting councilors chose Diaz to replace Calder. The mayor presides over meetings and signs documents but has not special authority, such as veto power, compared with the six other councilors.

“Bound by my oath and my love for Baker City, I must address the fact that Matt Diaz has shown, at best, a lack of awareness of the impact of using Nazi rhetoric and symbolism in any discussion, and at worst, hateful and divisive disregard for both his oath of office, the council he serves with and the community that he represents,” Calder said. “To compare inclusion to Nazism demonstrates a complete lack of understanding about the Nazis, the Holocaust, antisemitism, and homophobia. It also endangers our LGBTQ+ community and shows no respect for our Jewish founders and community members.

“As leaders, we must accept that we are held to a higher standard of conduct,” Calder said. “As public servants, we must lead the effort for inclusivity, respect, and compassion. As loving, imperfect humans we must hold Matt Diaz accountable and insist that he resign from this city council immediately.”

Following her statement, Calder made the three motions, each of which failed.

Hodgdon said he supports the city including a statement on its website “that does assure the common rights, the common safety, and common respect for all people. If there is a lack of clarity in that message, then I do believe council owes it to Baker City to bring clarity of messaging to that issue and that’s something that I can get behind.”

Hodgdon said he was talking about the city adopting a policy that would “uphold the rights of all people.”

He said someone threw wood chips at him earlier Tuesday, saying “they didn’t have the courage to even face me.”

Calder tried to speak as Hodgdon was talking.

Waggoner, in response to Calder and to audience members also speaking, struck the council lectern with his hand.

“Enough, enough. Either sit down and let him chair the meeting or get up and leave,” Waggoner said.

Audience members told Waggoner to be respectful.

Calder then stepped down from the council podium and sat in the audience (she later returned).

Hodgdon, addressing Royal’s statement about being verbally harassed on the way to the Pride Walk, condemned such behavior.

“If anyone is being assaulted, I want the police to know about it. I am sorry that anyone faced harassment going to that event,” Hodgdon said. He said that although he didn’t attend the event, he “celebrated the fact that you have the freedom to do that. I pray for you guys.”