TheRainbowTimesMass.com • The Rainbow Times • 3
March 7, 2019 - April 3, 2019
post Twitter anti-gay over resign to asked Commissioner Cape LGBTQIA vacation haven has an elected official that questions gay politicians ability to represent and work for all By: Chris Gilmore/TRT Reporter
IN THE LIMELIGHT
CAPE COD—A Barnstable County Commissioner’s recent post about gay politicians sparked indignation and condemnation from nearby politicians, even all the way to Beacon Hill, according to reports. As a result, a call for his resignation ensued immediately after the social media post. “I’m calling for Commissioner [Ron] Beaty to resign, I’m that upset,” said state Rep. Timothy Whelan, R-Brewster, to CapeCod.com. “I don’t even know what else to say.” Beaty’s Twitter post/poll asked people to weigh in on gay politicians’ ability to represent every constituent equally. “Generally speaking, are gay politicians too self-absorbed and self-centered to adequately represent ALL of their constituents in a fair and equitable manner?” the Feb. 19 Tweet read. The post, according to The Cape Cod Times, happened less than a week after a pair of openly gay state lawmakers, state Sen. Julian Cyr (D) and state Rep. Sarah Peake (D), were named to leadership positions. Although reactions ensued, some considered not commenting on the post to avoid
bringing more attention to it. In the end, silence was not an option for most and a statement signed by The Cape & Islands Delegation of Massachusetts’ state senators and representatives, comprised of a group of eight individuals, was sent to the media: “Recognizing that Ronald Beaty engages in this boorish behavior to elicit reactions for his own amusement, we would prefer to simply ignore this latest example of his tone deaf rhetoric and have the press and social media do the same,” read the statement signed by Senator Vinny deMacedo, Rep. Timothy Whelan, Rep. William Crocker, Jr., Rep. David T. Vieira, Rep. Randy Hunt, and Rep. Dylan Fernandes. “However, our silence could be interpreted to imply indifference and that would be a gross misinterpretation of how we feel about the situation. “Instead, we defend our colleagues who were attacked and encourage Mr. Beaty to stop besmirching the reputation of everyone in county government, both elected and appointed, by resigning his office immediately. Enough is enough,” they stated. Sen. Cyr commented on Beaty’s tweet too. “I am disappointed to hear that Ron Beaty made such an uninformed statement regarding the value LGBTQ people bring to Cape Cod and our commonwealth," said Cyr to The Cape Cod Times. “It appears he
Ron Beaty (Right). All commissioners are elected at large on a partisan basis for four-year. Beaty made anti-LGBTQ comments via Twitter last month. PHOTO: BARNSTABLECOUNTY.ORG
would prefer to spend his time as an elected official causing division and spreading disrespect.” Beaty, who spent time in federal prison for threatening to kill President George H.W. Bush, Senator Edward Kennedy and Massachusetts State Senator Lois Pines, was elected to office in 2016. He has made it his own “style” to attack others via social media. In the past, as reported by Cape Cod Wave Magazine (https://bit.ly/2hQ2Had),
Beaty took to Twitter to “attack [Gov. Charlie] Baker, calling him a ‘Wimp,’ ‘Snowflake,’ and other names.” According to The Hill (https://bit.ly/2H9DUs2), Beaty cited “President Trump’s social media practices to defend the tweet.” In a statement sent to The Rainbow Times, Beaty stated he was not stepping ...
See Beaty On Page 23
