Anti-Lesbian Comments Cause Stir, Targeted Alderman Wants to Move On

After allegedly being targeted by anti-lesbian comments, newly appointed Ward 5 Alderman Courtney O'Keefe, who is openly gay, wants to move on.

"I'm done with this being a focus. My focus is Ward 5," O'Keefe told Somerville Patch Wednesday afternoon.

The comments, which O'Keefe said she heard about through friends, prompted Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone to issue an open letter Tuesday denouncing "all anti-gay slurs and insults." (You can read the letter by clicking PDFs under the photo of O'Keefe.)

The mayor's letter led Boston.com and the Boston Metro to publish stories about the situation.

O'Keefe said she heard of two comments made about her with anti-lesbian insults. The first happened on April 11, the night former Ward 5 Alderman Sean O'Donovan stepped down from the Somerville Board of Aldermen, nominating O'Keefe to be his replacement.

A friend overheard someone in the audience say, "dyke candidate," O'Keefe said.

The second comment allegedly happened about two weeks later, when someone suggested there should be a bridge between Olde Magoun's Saloon and Daddy Jones—two restaurants in Magoun Square, where O'Keefe lives—with a sign that says "dwarf lesbian crossing," O'Keefe said. She said she heard about the comment through an acquaintance.

If it had been one isolated incident, she might have forgotten about it, she said, but to hear about two comments, "it was kind of a pattern." She added later, "Give me a break."

O'Keefe said Curtatone decided to write a letter after hearing about the comments from the city's human rights commission.

"This is something he takes very seriously," O'Keefe said. "He just wants Somerville to be a safe place for everybody."

"To have that type of supporter is awesome," she said.