Porterville City Council this week voted to remove Virginia
Gurrula as the city's mayor following a controversy over a Gay Pride
proclamation.
Gurrula became the target of gay rights opponents after she signed
a proclamation declaring June Gay Pride month. Their complaints to
the city council led to the rescinding of the proclamation by the
council in July.
“There's no hatred. No ill feelings against homosexual
individuals. It is not about them, it's about government intrusion
into our private lives and a smothering attitude of political
correctness,” one man told council members in July.
ABC
affiliate KFSN reported that council members on Tuesday voted 3-2
to oust Gurrula and Peter McCracken, the city's former vice mayor.
“I believe the underlying issue was the LGBT proclamation,”
Gurrula told the television station.
The city's new mayor, Cameron Hamilton, denied Gurrula's
assertion, but failed to give a specific reason why Gurrula was
removed.
“If the LGBT community thinks that, then that's just the way
they're going to have to think, but reorganization has been called
for every year since 2008,” Hamilton said.
“To remove somebody from a position is in effect saying, 'You're
not doing the job we want you to do.' Now, there's going to be a
debate. 'Oh no, you did do it, but we just wanted a new mayor.'
Well, then they need to clearly say why are they removing you,”
Gurrula said.
The council has previously taken a stand against gay rights. In
2009, it publicly supported Proposition 8, California's gay marriage
ban.