Embattled San Antonio Councilwoman Elisa Chan appeared at an
hour-long press conference on Tuesday to discuss anti-gay statements
she made during a secretly recorded meeting.
In the recording, released last week by a former aide, Chan and
her staff are heard discussing how Chan can oppose a proposed
gay-inclusive non-discrimination ordinance without appearing to “beat
up anybody.”
She's heard calling gays “disgusting” and saying that gay
people should be banned from adoption.
(Related: Elisa
Chan, San Antonio councilwoman, calls gays “disgusting.”)
“Political correctness will not win this day; standing firm as
an individual in service to the whole community does,” Chan told
reporters on Tuesday. “I stand strong in my First Amendment right
to freedom of speech and our right to privacy.”
“I know that many people find the comments made in the meeting
offensive, but again, it was a confidential meeting set in the
privacy of my office where none of us are supposed to worry about
what we say. These meetings have been and always will be a
free-speech zone.”
According to the San
Antonio Express-News, the meeting was packed with supporters
who had been invited to attend. They applauded Chan as she entered
the room. One woman thanked her for speaking the “truth,” saying
that “it is disgusting because it translates into abomination.”
Chan refused to answer whether she thinks gays are “disgusting.”