Lancaster mayor calls for sensitivity training after commissioner's gay slur

A newly appointed city commissioner in Lancaster has sparked outrage in the Antelope Valley community by making comments in a recent speech that were taken as anti-gay and anti-Semitic, though city leaders are resisting calls to remove him from his position.

Stan Muhammad, a member of the city's Neighborhood Vitalization Commission, was speaking at a public rally on July 20 in reaction to the Trayvon Martin verdict and using the platform to launch an initiative called the Antelope Valley Youth Ambassadors for Peace. He made comments criticizing the rap music industry for the examples it was setting for young people, describing rappers with a gay slur and referring to the music industry following the "synagogue of Satan."

"We all need social awareness, don't we?" Muhammad said. "Especially our young people, who's following behind these -- I can't even speak the way I want to speak because sisters is here. But the young people is following behind f----ts in this industry, straight up. Individuals who have sold their soul to the devil for a piece of paper."

"This is why when you listen to rap music, what do you hear? Degrading of black women, because they are being paid by the synagogue of Satan, to keep our people deaf dumb and blind, to the reality of the time and what must be done."

Muhammad returned to the microphone a short time later to say he had meant no disrespect to the gay community, though he repeated the

slur and the phrase "synagogue of Satan."

Within days, community leaders were calling for Muhammad's resignation. Several spoke at the July 23 City Council meeting, pushing for him to step down or be removed from the commission. A video of the speech had garnered nearly 7,000 views on YouTube by Wednesday.

Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris said he received a call from one of Muhammad's fellow commissioners the night of the rally, screaming about the incident. Community leaders called for his removal from city office at the July 23 City Council meeting.

But Parris said he has no interest in removing Muhammad from the commission.

Instead, he said the incident shows how much Lancaster residents don't know about each other, and he has asked members of the LGBT community to help formulate plans to implement sensitivity training for all commissioners.

"We could handle this in an 'off with his head' way that other cities do," Parris said, "but there's no benefit to dealing with things like that."

Parris added he has reached out to another commissioner, Sue Dell, who chairs the city's Human Relations Tapestry Commission, to begin working on outlines for a sensitivity-training program, which would now be mandatory for all city leaders. "They'll all have to do it if they want to stay commissioners," he said.

Dell is on vacation, but Sanie Andres, president of the OUTreach Center, an activist group for the LGBT community in the Antelope Valley, said the group is looking at options to recommend to the city. Dell also sits on the board of OUTreach.

"We've done some research into other programs," said Andres. "We've looked at GLIDE, which is based in L.A., and we've also looked at Just Detention International, which recently trained the Bakersfield Police Department."

GLIDE -- or Gays and Lesbians Initiating Dialogue for Equality -- has worked

Stan Muhammad, standing at the lectern holding a microphone, a member of Lancaster's Neighborhood Vitalization Commission, spoke at a public rally on July 20, 2013 in reaction to the George Zimmerman verdict and used the platform to launch an initiative called the Antelope Valley Youth Ambassadors for Peace. He made comments criticizing the rap music industry for the examples it was setting for young people, describing rappers with a gay slur and referring to the music industry following the "synagogue of Satan." (Screen grab from video posted on YouTube)

with the Los Angeles Unified School District to implement sensitivity training for teachers, staff and students.

Andres said the OUTreach board met with Muhammad the day after his speech and afterward decided it was better to work with him than to try to oust him. Andres and Dell posted a joint letter on OUTreach's Facebook page elaborating on the group's plan to use the slur as a teaching moment and called for others to back the group's decision.

But for Andres, it isn't as simple as that, noting other members of the LGBT community in Lancaster still want Muhammad to leave office.

"We can't speak for everyone," he said. "I can understand why some people want to see more penalties for him."

?

Following his speech, by his own account, Muhammad was approached by audience members who expressed anger at his choice of words. He spoke again to clarify his words, though he repeated the phrases.

"First, we're not here to judge anyone," he said. "For those in the audience that may be gay, only God can judge you. I'm not here to judge you.

"But I have a background in entertainment, and I've been exposed to those who have sold their soul to the devil. The likes of Jay-Z, the likes of Lil Wayne, the likes of all those who you hear on your radio every day. And they have made a deal with the synagogue of Satan. And the deal is this: you put out what I tell you to put out because I do not want your people conscious.

"So when I mentioned f----t, it didn't have any direct impact on the gay community."

In an interview Wednesday, Muhammad said he had no idea how offensive his statements were to some members of the public.

"I had no clue, that's the truth," Muhammad said. "I had no clue that the term was offensive. I would say that a lot of our community is unaware. I went and met with leaders in the gay community the very next day, and I have to say I learned a lot."

A forcible removal of a commissioner requires a motion by one of the City Council members, and none have said they are likely to do that.

And Muhammad said he isn't going anywhere on his own.

"I'm not going to resign," he said. "I want to find a way to work this out. I don't think resignation is the way to do that."

kelly.goff@dailynews.com
@KellyGoff_DN on Twitter

Source: http://www.dailynews.com/ci_23772501/lancaster-mayor-calls-sensitivity-training-after-commissioners-gay?source=rss_viewed

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