Anti-Pride Month post by La Salle County clerk spurs bipartisan rebuke

The La Salle County official who oversees elections and marriage licensing prompted a bipartisan rebuke Friday after she reposted to her social media earlier in the week a meme expressing satisfaction over the end of Pride Month.

The meme La Salle County Clerk Jen Ebner posted to her Facebook account depicts an image of a red, white and blue figure kicking a rainbow-colored figure with the phrase “it’s finally July” below it – an apparent reference to the end of a dedicated month for the LGBTQ community and supporters.

The post, which she has since deleted, drew criticism from the local Republican Party and a Democratic state lawmaker alike for its message.

Nevertheless, the first-term Ebner, a Republican, said she had a right to post it and it doesn’t affect her duties.

“As an American citizen protected by the First Amendment, I am free to exercise my right of Freedom of speech,” Ebner said in a statement Friday. “I posted on my personal Facebook page. My personal Facebook page does not reflect my performance in the office as the La Salle County clerk.”

The La Salle County Republican Party distanced itself from Ebner’s post, calling for unity and invoking President Abraham Lincoln.

“The La Salle County Republican Party views that posting and the message behind it as both unfortunate and inappropriate,” La Salle County Republican Party chairman Larry Smith said in a statement Friday. “It does not represent the platform nor the opinions of the La Salle County Republican Central Committee or the Republican Party at large.

“Our party supports all Americans in striving for a better, more fulfilling, successful life for all citizens regardless of race, creed or sexual orientation. As President Lincoln once said, ‘A house divided cannot stand.’ As Americans, we need to put aside our differences and celebrate the blessings of being fellow Americans.”

State Rep. Lance Yednock, D-Ottawa, said he is contacting the Illinois Attorney General’s Office and the Human Rights Commission to determine if the post violated any laws. Yednock said in an interview Friday that constituents spoke to him with concerns about not receiving equitable services at the clerk’s office and that prompted him to pass the information along to the AG’s office.

“I am very disappointed that an elected official in La Salle County would post such a divisive and hurtful message,” Yednock said in a separate statement Friday. “It is imperative that all elected officials complete their legal duties to the fullest extent of the law regardless of their personal opinions, but this conduct forces many to question her ability to fairly serve everyone in our community.”

Illinois county clerks are responsible for issuing marriage licenses and overseeing local elections, among other duties. In November 2013, Illinois became the 16th state to legalize same-sex marriage.

Yednock said he is hopeful that La Salle County will investigate the matter as well.

La Salle County Board Chairman Don Jensen, R-Deer Park, said County Board members had not discussed it as of Friday.

La Salle County State’s Attorney Joe Navarro, a Democrat, said he didn’t view the Facebook post and also didn’t see anything that would meet his jurisdiction for action.

“I have heard the comments that were said. It appears to me, without knowing more than what was said, it wouldn’t be anything that my office would have anything to do with,” Navarro said. “If the Human Rights Commission feels otherwise, then that’s their area.”

Ebner didn’t respond to further questions.

The rainbow colors in the meme are representative of the LGBTQ community. June is Pride Month, a time when the LGBTQ community hosts a number of events across the country, including the recent Family Pride Fest in Ottawa.

Pride Month is celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan, according to the Library of Congress. The Stonewall Uprising was a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the U.S.

Dylan Conmy, organizer of Family Pride Fest in Ottawa, said the meme is evident of the power that words and images can possess, and noted how quickly the message spreads.

“In response to the post made by La Salle County Clerk Jennifer Ebner, I know the ‘free speech’ term has been thrown around,” Conmy said. “This isn’t an argument of free speech – you can discuss whatever you like around your bonfire, or post what you like on your page. It might not paint you in the best light, but you have that right. However, when you are an elected official and public figure, you have an added responsibility of recognizing the power and influence of your words.”

Conmy said that the meme Ebner shared was posted numerous times by others as an image of disdain, rejection and violent mockery toward the LGBTQ community.

“For an elected official to not only share this image but also defend it wholeheartedly with anti-LGBT rhetoric is both dangerous and unsettling,” Conmy said. “Right now there are La Salle County LGBT community members who are needing legal name changes and marriage licenses who need the clerk’s office, and they no longer have trust that services from the office will be provided without bias or discrimination.”

Conmy called for accountability for the post and repercussions that may have been created between her office and the LGBTQ community, as well as allies and county employees who may see her as not accepting of them.

“You are a public figure, Ms. Ebner,” Conmy said. “Strive to use your small but visible platform more positively. Everyone is watching.”

– Shaw Local News Network reporter Tom Collins contributed to this report.