Phoenix Councilman Nowakowski Under Fire For Anti-LGBTQ Statements
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A Phoenix city councilman is under fire for recent comments against gay marriage and the transgender community.
Democrat Michael Nowakowski had, in the past, appeared to support marriage equality and other LGBTQ issues, but a YouTube video that surfaced on Tuesday tells a different story.
“It’s hard to be a man of Christ and being an elected official," said Nowakowski, aided by a Spanish translator, to a room that included religious leaders.
The video shows the councilman discussing the recent controversy over public prayer at the beginning of council meetings, but he then went on to say "I never thought I would see the day that men and men would be married, or that people are allowed to go into the same bathroom as my daughter."
"The world is changing, and it’s time for us to take the leadership and change it back to the way it should be," Nowakowski said.
The video has been online since February, but was recently highlighted by activists and set off widespread outrage on social media.
In a statement, Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton said he was “shocked a councilmember who represents so many LGBT individuals in the heart of our city would hold such homophobic views.”
Councilwoman Laura Pastor said she was "dismayed" by this "kind of derogatory rhetoric."
In a Facebook post, Equality Arizona called it an "outrageous statement of bigotry that exposes his previous statements of support for equality as lies."
In 2014, Nowakowski told the Arizona Republic "Love is love. Who are we to say otherwise or judge on how individuals feel?”
Late Wednesday afternoon Nowakowski issued a written statement that said as a practicing Catholic he often has a hard time reconciling such issues from a religious perspective, but he knows he represents a diverse district and his voting record demonstrates "giving an equal voice in government to all."
Nowakowski said in the statement his reference in the video to "returning to the way it should be" was in regard to prayer at city council meetings.
