Dem, LGBTQ leaders call for Clarksville councilman's resignation over anti-DEI, LGBTQ talk

Correction: An earlier version of the story said Travis Holleman was asked to present his presentation, he was not.

Clarksville City Council's Thursday meeting drew a standing room only crowd, including spectators wearing T-shirts and holding signs and flags in support of the LGBTQIA+ community, as they called for the resignation of councilmember Travis Holleman, following his June comments criticizing diversity, equity and inclusion and LGBTQ initiatives.

Some signs read "Love over Hate", "We're not going back" and "Stand up to hate."

During a regular city council meeting June 27 , Holleman delivered a presentation regarding "public policies and employee policies". During the presentation, Holleman criticized diversity, equity and inclusion training and programs, commonly called DEI, implemented by many major corporations.

He called DEI efforts as "training programs to help employees brainwash and indoctrinate," pushing "woke agendas," comparing DEI officers to communist officers.

Holleman continued to criticize actions of the LGBTQ community, drag shows and transgender issues, saying "Prince of Pride is Satan," and calling the city to "wake up and repent."

During public comments, Montgomery County Democratic Party Chair Charles Uffelman confronted city councilmembers, asking for those "who did not say anything," following Holleman's June speech, "to stand up now."

"Maybe that doesn't align with your politics, so let me see if it aligns with you financially," Uffelman said. "Is having one of your members calling out the LGBT community as communist, is that helpful in recruiting businesses to the city? Is it helpful in recruiting talent to Austin Peay's college athletics? Is it helpful in hiring teachers? Is it helpful in promoting peace within our city? Ask yourself, what is your role? Is it to let him do it? Is it to shush the one who stood up to him? Or is it to actually stand up to homophobia and hate."

Uffelman then called on Holleman to resign from his seat "immediately for the failure of his leadership, for the harm done to the LGBT community, but also to all the folks that are lifted up by Diversity Equity and Inclusion programs."

Uffelman further defended DEI initiatives.

"DEI isn't just about LGBT folks. It's about Juneteenth. It's about Emancipation Day. It's about the AAPI Festival. It's about Latino heritage," he said. "Clarksville is a beautiful city because it's diverse, not despite its diversity, and that's an American concept. Has nothing to do with Russia has nothing to do with communism."

Following Uffelman, Anita Hart, president of C-Pride, or Clarksville Pride, spoke before city council.

"He (Holleman) targeted the LGBTQ community and our C-Pride organization," Hart said. "His words weren't just opinions. He presented them as irrefutable truth. He directed the community overall not to support us, going so far to insist that we pose a threat to the people of Clarksville, ultimately stating that we are not welcome here, the rest of the city council, all of you, with the exception of one courageous member, sat in silence.

"This has caused the LGBTQ community to fear they are no longer having representation in a room where everyone should feel equal and know their rights are protected."

Hart condemned Holleman's comments, calling them "dangerous and discriminatory."

"Let's rewrite the narrative together," she said.

The last person to speak was Nicholas Wojack, a CMCSS student, who described himself as "not a manly man," and someone who enjoys musical theatre, and whose friends would describe him as "queer, flamboyant, radically passionate about politics and someone who loves and cares about people."

He asked Holleman to understand and get to know the LGBTQIA+ community as people with different stories.

"This is my identity and what makes me human," Wojack said. "While Mr. Holleman focuses on one aspect of my identity, using such labels as nothing more than a threat purely based on my unchangeable sexuality or dysphoric gender identity, despite never meeting me or knowing of my existence ... ."

He also said the comments encouraged hateful rhetoric.

Councilperson Wanda Allen addressed the crowd.

"The world we live in today, there should not be this much hate in our world," Allen said with emotion and a shaky voice. "And although at times we feel like, oh, it's not hate, it's just how I feel, it's my freedom of speech, I get it. We all have freedom of speech, but this is not the place for that."

She further addressed DEI initiatives, which have recently come under fire in the corporate world after Tractor Supply in Brentwood announced that it was stepping away from providing training to employees.

"The whole DEI thing in our country is ridiculous, it means diversity, equity and inclusion," Allen said.

"On the Fourth of July event at Wilma Rudolph Event Center our sign language people were there signing for our community, and some deaf members of our community walked up, and we're so excited, because they could understand everything that was happening that day, because we had people interpreting. That is a part of DEI also. So if we were to let DEI go, people with disabilities, people that are aging, people that are minorities, people that are in the LGBTQIA community, everybody that is different would no longer be able to exist. You cannot represent your community with those types of feelings."

More: Why the controversy about Tractor Supply? Tennessee-based company drops DEI, inclusion and climate initiatives

More: Why John Deere is stepping away from diversity, inclusion initiatives and 'social or cultural awareness' events

Holleman responds

During city council comments, Holleman addressed the crowd.

"On my previous comments about DEI didn't exist, that homosexuals wouldn't exist, disabled people wouldn't exist. I mean, they existed before diversity equity inclusion, like diversity equity inclusion, is a new thing.

"Talking about my presentation, I mean, I never really cared until the LGBT (community) started targeting children," Holleman said, citing a law passed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed that prevents schools from revealing a student's sexual orientation or gender identity to any person without the student's consent . Some debate has surfaced nationwide about whether this law includes parents.

The crowd suddenly erupted into groans and shouts of protest.

"My whole objective is to protect children," Holleman said. "And so I'm sorry y'all feel attacked, but protecting children is more important. That's all I've got."

Councilperson Karen Reynolds asked for the resolution calling for Holleman's resignation to be passed out and added to the minutes before addressing the crowd.

"Last month, we talked about freedom of speech," Reynolds said, "And yes, there's freedom of speech, but there is also you have to pay if you speak hate. It's not freedom from being responsible [for] consequences for what you say, and that's what this is."

She praised the crowd for coming out and reminded everyone to vote Aug. 1.

"This is what democracy looks like, filling this room, paying attention and holding your elected officials at every level is what democracy looks like, what we need now in our community is for people to go vote," Reynolds said.

Right after Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts officially ended the meeting, chants of "This is what democracy looks like" could be heard as Reynolds led the crowd in a chant that was loudly repeated back.

Holleman did not respond to requests for comment from The Leaf-Chronicle.

Kenya Anderson is a reporter for The Leaf-Chronicle. She can be contacted at kanderson@gannett.com or on X at kenyaanderson32 . Sign up for the Leaf-Chronicle to support local journalism at www.theleafchronicle.com.

This article originally appeared on Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle: Dem, LGBTQ leaders call for Clarksville councilman's resignation over anti-DEI, LGBTQ talk