Government Spotlight

DEI Committee gets pushback from residents, dives into policy edits, then stumbles on pronouns

|Debra Smith|

At its July 28 meeting, the Ad Hoc Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee got an earful from residents about comments made by some of its members at their previous meeting in June. Three residents spoke in person, and one of three letters sent to the committee was read aloud.

Peg Becksvoort shared her reflections on the importance of including all members of the community, and noted that three committee members had spoken in favor of excluding some people. “If you don’t really believe in DEI, then why are you on this committee?”

Laura Fralich commented about statements made by committee members that dismissed the existence of structural racism, and shared examples of data that show disparities in outcomes for people of different races. She remarked that one committee member had stated that racism exists in the hearts of people, not in institutions. She noted that racism within people is often interwoven with structural or institutional racism.

Nick Planson asked that the committee please: 1) don’t rush through the process but take the time to explore these difficult issues together; 2) focus on protecting people from discrimination rather than protecting people’s supposed rights to discriminate; and 3) view this process as an opportunity to make everyone in this community comfortable living here. He cited several examples of his concerns from the previous meeting, including statements that he considered inappropriate in government proceedings. “It’s the law in this country that we keep church and state separate. No religious group is allowed to impose its viewpoint on others… If you can’t put your personal viewpoint aside to work for the benefit of all members of the community regardless of their background, then you should resign and let others serve.” He ended with the statement, “We are all New Gloucester.”

Sasha Nyary’s letter about the widely accepted usage of the inclusive pronoun “they” was read by the chair, Julie Tajonara.

The committee then immediately turned their attention to housekeeping and to reviewing and tweaking By-laws for Boards and Committees, and the Purchasing Policy. They moved swiftly through a series of motions and votes on changes to improve transparency and accessibility, then on to the Code of Ethics. The proposal that the DEI statement to be developed by this group be included in the Ethics document was tabled. Differences between officers/ officials and town employees was discussed, and the group wondered how the employee policies dovetailed with this document. How would someone report a violation of the Code, and to whom? And then what? Greta Atchinson proposed including a link to one section of the Maine Human Rights Act to the statutory standards section. This was also tabled to give the members the opportunity to review this law.

Things had been going pretty smoothly until Atchinson next moved that gendered pronouns be replaced with “they,”  citing Sasha Nyary’s letter and the state constitution, that, as of a 1988 amendment,  incorporates the use of gender-neutral language.

”Our duty is to the town, not to our own personal or religious beliefs,” Atchinson noted. Some members resisted this. Rachel Carll explained she doesn’t consider it to be about gender, but about sex, male and female.  Adam Lee said he appreciated the public comments, but thinks “it’s unfair to think that one’s mind could be turned so quickly from one meeting to the next… to me, it’s not a religious thing, it’s a reality of life.” Tajonara noted that she sees it more as biological, not religious. Joanne Caouette spoke about a conversation with a person who is non-binary and doesn’t see “he or she” as inclusive of them. Atchinson said that “they” includes all pronouns, and “for me, it’s about wanting everyone to feel included in this document.” Her motion failed 4 to 2 (Cam Dufty was absent.)

For an explanation of the difference between sex and gender, click here.

Also on the agenda was review of another town’s DEI statement. South Berwick, some noted, is more like New Gloucester in size and make up than Lewiston. But the group agreed they liked the Lewiston statement much better.

You can watch the video of this meeting here.

The next meeting was held August 3 at 6:30 in the Meeting House, and will be reported here shortly.