The Republican candidate in the Burlington Ward 3 City Council race has been booted off local social media because he is reportedly “transphobic,” a campaign spokesperson said.
Two weeks ago, the campaign to elect Christopher-Aaron Felker to the Burlington City Council noticed it had been blocked by the Old North End Facebook group, spokesperson Brad Broyles said.
“This page has 1500 plus members, most of which live in Ward 3 and an audience we’d obviously like access,” he wrote in a letter to WVMT radio personality and former elected official Kurt Wright. Broyles noted that the two other candidates are on the page.
Broyles said he reached out to both moderators last week wishing to be unblocked, in order to post community events and positive messages. “Yesterday I sent a message to moderator Holly Beckert as a follow-up from my previous and she came back with ‘he’s transphobic, people don’t want him here’. Without going down the rabbit hole of gender politics, Christopher’s view is shaped by his religious faith and in line with the Catholic church,” Broyles said.
Broyles said Beckert promptly blocked him and then posted a statement (published here) that she blocked Felker – who is gay – and his “hate speech” and she wants the page to be “inclusive”. She immediately shut off comments on her post as she didn’t like the responses.
Beckert also blocked Christopher’s husband for posting “get out and vote” with a copy of his palm card last week. – Editor