An ugly start for a new commission

The celebratory mood at Tuesday's swearing-in ceremony for Fernandina Beach's new city commission quickly dissipated as controversy erupted during the regular meeting over the reading of the Transgender Day of Remembrance proclamation.

The meeting marked the first session for recently elected commissioners Joyce Tuten, Genece Minshew, and Tim Poynter.

However, building tensions erupted following a series of right-wing, conservative speakers who denounced the reading of the proclamation.

Transgender Day of Remembrance is an annual observance on November 20th that honors the memory of transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence.

The first signs of discord were when newly elected Mayor James Antun, following his predecessor Bradley Bean's example in 2023, did not read the transgender remembrance proclamation.

Antun turned that task over to Commissioner Tuten, who stepped forward to read the proclamation, only pausing when encountering the phrase "by the powers vested in me as mayor." Tuten ultimately turned the proceedings over to Fernandina Beach Pride President Jordan Morris.

The mood in the room took a dark turn when Vice Mayor Darron Ayscue, as he did in 2023, reiterated his opposition to the Transgender Remembrance reading stating, "I believe this proclamation is part of a broader political agenda and I will not support this."

The proclamation drew more criticism from several public speakers, including Janice Knocke, whose husband leads Citizens Defending Freedom, a local conservative activist group that opposes gay-related activities in the city. She was joined by Alan Hopkins, former chair of the city's community redevelopment board, and Kelly Ann Yates, who runs an ultra-conservative Facebook page.

Their comments, including fear-based misstatements of endangering children, generated jeers and catcalls from other attendees, marking the second consecutive year the proclamation has sparked controversy in the commission chamber.

All of this played out in front of a group of children who were at the meeting with their parents waiting to support commission funding for a new skatepark in the city. Several parents grabbed their children and left the commission room during the speakers' tirades.

Cameron Moss noted, "I'm compelled to comment that I'd like to see us find sources of common ground instead of division and nastiness. As a people, we can do better."

Pete Stevenson, who frequently speaks at commission meetings, spoke of coming together as a community and moving forward with new ideas.

"The motto I would keep in mind is to build a bridge and not a wall," Stevenson said.

Many of the transgender proclamation supporters had left the commission room and did not witness the negative statements during the public comments, including Pride President Morris.

"This is a carryover from the election where people feel emboldened to reject things that make them feel uncomfortable, and this is probably going to get worse before it gets better," Morris said. "This type of willful ignorance is why we're (Pride) doing this in the first place. People need to learn and educate themselves about the (transgender) community and what's going on. Until they do that, people feel they have a license to dismiss it and it's really sad. Several of them were in that room tonight, and it's disappointing."

The contentious scene stood in stark contrast to the earlier swearing-in ceremony's optimistic atmosphere, which included seating Minshew, who was targeted by local Republicans during the election campaign for her past leadership of LGBTQ+ rights and recognition.