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A first-term Republican state representative makes an Easter Sunday apology to a gay journalist who lives in his district and was the target of a social media "agenda alert" last month.
Rep. Gary Glenn's expression of regret -- "sincerely and respectfully" -- appears in The Midland Daily News as a four-paragraph letter to the editor. An excerpt:
I apologize for having publicly and unfairly prejudged Tony Lascari’s ability to fairly, impartially and professionally serve as news editor of the Midland Daily News. There is no evidence in your 10 years as an MDN reporter that you have used that position to advance any personal or political agenda.
My posting on Facebook of the article announcing your promotion — under the title “agenda alert” — was a snap judgment that was both thoughtless and inappropriate to my new position.
Glenn, a Baptist, concludes by saying he's "grateful this weekend in particular to have a Savior who died for and forgives all our transgressions."
A Democratic officeholder in Glenn’s district, Isabella County Commissioner James S. Moreno, questions a possible subtext in the closing sentence. "That transgressions word . . . caught my attention,” he posts on Facebook. “It seems ambiguous -- him or Tony?"
Lascari links to the legislator's letter from his Facebook page without comment.
Original article, March 25:
Once again, a gay-bashing conservative Michigan politician draws attention at a national website, as Republican National Committee member Dave Agema has done repeatedly.
Tony Lascari: "I live a pretty average life."
The spouting off this time comes from state Rep. Gary Glenn, a Midland-area Republican using social media to show discomfort with the openly gay news editor at his local paper.
On Twitter and Facebook, Glenn posts an "agenda alert" linked to a Midland Daily News article about reporter Tony Lascari's elevation to news editor. Near the end, down in the 21st paragraph, the promoted journalist says: "I live in Midland with my husband, Mark.”
Glenn, a Baptist, describes himself as being "for traditional values." Sunday's social media heads-ups, he tells Mark Tower of MLive, were intended "to alert readers to the reasonably observed possibilty that this new position might be used to promote a political agenda or bias that's at odds with our community's values."
"When it comes to holding people in positions of public influence accountable, the more public awareness, the better," he said. . . .
Glenn serves as president of the American Family Association of Michigan, a conservative religious organization that opposes what it calls the "homosexual agenda." He is also one of two co-authors of Michigan's Marriage Protection Amendment, which in 2004 enshrined a ban on same-sex marriage in the state's constitution.
Rep. Gary Glenn: "The more public awareness, the better."
Some constituents call out their first-term representative for trying to make an issue of Lascaria's relationship. "You are a terrible representative of my city. You should be ashamed of yourself," Nichole DuFort posts Wednesday afternoon on his Facebook thread.
Another comment, from Tom Ryberg of Battle Creek, says: "The only agenda I see being promoted here is that of a conservative state legislator who is so determined to marginalize gay people that he's trying to drum up opposition to a gay person getting a promotion in an independent business."
Four people says their critical comments earlier were removed.
A prominent national journalism blogger, Jim Romenesko, picks up the story Wednesday. The promoted journalist tells him: "I have heard overwhelming positive feedback from the Midland community about my promotion."
Lascari, who lives in Glenn's district, also responds at his paper Wednesday. "No one else in Midland has ever brought up my marriage as a concern to me," he writes in a 10-paragraph column headlined "My marriage is a non-issue in Midland."
"I live a pretty average life in this community, and have for 10 years. I work hard and am involved in the community, as is the Midland tradition. I don’t think my marriage is worthy of an “Agenda Alert.” My reporting record speaks for itself.
My mission in my new position is to lead a news team reporting accurate stories that reflect our community. . . . I invite Glenn to get in touch to talk at any time. I will be just as fair to him as I would have been before he issued his alert. That’s the job of a newspaper employee."
