Neighborhood Politics at Center of Homophobic Slurs Controversy

In the past two weeks, Somerville has seen allegations of homophobic slurs, accusations and denials of mayoral favoritism, boosterism for gay marriage and condemnations of intolerance.

Heady stuff, and much of the turmoil has to do with neighborhood politics in Ward 5.

A little background

The commotion started on May 14 when Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone sent an open letter condemning "anti-gay slurs and insults."

In his letter, the mayor wrote, "It has come to my attention that offensive, homophobic slurs have been publicly spoken about a Somerville elected official, and a friend of mine. In light of this information, let me renew my stance on this and any other derogatory remarks against human beings in ours and any other community: This kind of abusive behavior has no place in our city — or any other."

The mayor was referring to comments allegedly made about newly appointed Ward 5 Alderman Courtney O'Keefe, who is openly gay.

O'Keefe didn't hear the comments herself, but found out about them from acquaintances, she said. Someone had called her a "dyke candidate," and someone else had cracked a joke about creating a "dwarf lesbian crossing" sign in Magoun Square, she said.

The mayor's letter led to articles in Boston.com and the Boston Metro, and on May 15 O'Keefe told Somerville Patch she wanted to move on. "I'm done with this being a focus. My focus is Ward 5," she said.

Read the mayor's letter here.

Wait, how is that controversial?

Joe Lynch, a former candidate for alderman in Ward 5—the position O'Keefe was recently appointed to—thought something else was behind the mayor's comments.

Lynch, who hosts a show on SCATV called "Greater Somerville," is openly gay. 

He also had somewhat of a falling out with O'Keefe, who worked on his alderman campaign in 2007 and served with him on the Magoun Square Neighborhood Association. Lynch said he and O'Keefe ultimately split ways due to differences of opinions about the association's future.

In 2007, Lynch ran against former Ward 5 Alderman Sean O'Donovan, the same man who nominated O'Keefe to take his place when he resigned in April.

In a written response to the mayor's letter, Lynch referred to O'Donovan's resignation and O'Keefe's appointment to the Board of Aldermen: "The sudden, however, resignation of two aldermen … has been met by the Somerville community with puzzlement and concern. You have publicly supported the appointment of a friend of yours to fill one of those sudden resignations. The appointed alderman in question is controversial not for her politics, her gender or her sexual preference, but for the fact that her appointment, fully supported by you, has bypassed the traditional route of appointment."

Lynch continued: "It is odd that you have chosen this moment to become an advocate for the rights of city officials and candidates for office."

Back in 2007, Lynch wrote, homophobic comments were leveled at him and other gay candidates, and the mayor said nothing. 

"I found your letter to be confusing, somewhat disingenuous and had a not so subtle whiff of political opportunism," Lynch wrote.

Read Lynch's entire letter in the PDFs section. See his discussion of the matter on "Greater Somerville."

Who said what?

Lynch questioned whether homophobic comments were ever made, saying, "What [the mayor] stated in his letter is hearsay."

"It's very confusing about who said what to whom," Lynch said. He later asked, "Was it ever real? I can't answer that question."

Lynch said of homophobia, "It's a very very highly charged issue" that "should not be bandied about for political gain."

"It's a very personal issue with me," he said, later adding, "I'm not going to let it become a political piñata."

Lynch didn't go into details about what political gains were at stake. O'Keefe, having been appointed to fill a vacancy on the Board of Aldermen, is running for election this fall. She will face Mark Niedergang, Ward 5's elected representative on the Somerville School Committee.

Mayor denies favoritism

Jaclyn Rossetti, a spokesperson for the mayor's office, in an email to boston.com, wrote, "The assumption of 'favoritism' is both untrue and disappointing."

"Mayor Curtatone has repeatedly taken a stance against any intolerance-based words or actions," she told the news website.

In a statement about Lynch's allegations, Curtatone said the original letter was a direct response to the alleged homophobic slurs, boston.com reported.

The news website posted the statement, which says, "It's always the right time to stand up for tolerance, and I will continue to speak up on the issue whenever the need arises."

The statement also dealt with O'Keefe's appointment to the Board of Aldermen, saying, "It did not bypass but followed the traditional route of appointment by the City Charter. Those who disagreed with the City Charter brought their concerns to the aldermen, who have voted to create a new process for appointment."

Read more about changes to appointing aldermen in Somerville.

When is a comment homophobic?

Often, the context in which words are spoken are as important as the words themselves.

In his letter to the mayor, Lynch wrote, "As a gay man, I've told some pretty funny gay jokes. And within my LGBT community, we even make fun of each other."

Speaking to Somerville Patch, he asked, "Whatever was said, was it said in a hateful, homophobic way?"

Asked if he were responsible for saying any of the alleged comments, Lynch said, "No."

He also said he did not think Somerville was a homophobic place.