Genesee County Pride Month Resolution Again Creates Controversy Where None Should Exist

The Genesee County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution recognizing Pride Month in Genesee County at their meeting on May 13.

That part in itself isn’t especially out of the ordinary. As a way to show care for all constituents in their communities, many municipalities quickly pass similar resolutions affirming support for groups of people who are traditionally marginalized or excluded from the political process. Genesee County has passed Pride Month resolutions since at least 2021, and they’ve passed similar resolutions recognizing Juneteenth (which celebrates the abolition of slavery in the United States), Black History Month, Women’s History Month, and more. In fact, in the very same May 13 meeting in which they approved the Pride Month resolution, they also approved resolutions recognizing Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Jewish Heritage Month, and Mental Health Awareness Month in Genesee County. These resolutions here and elsewhere have historically been relatively short, non-controversial, and nonpartisan components of meetings – different people and cultures are interesting and make our communities cool, imagine that.

In the May 13 meeting, each resolution ultimately passed either 6-2 or 5-3. The Pride resolution was 5-3, with Republicans Gary Goetzinger, Shaun Shumaker, and Brian Flewelling voting against.

Goetzinger didn’t offer any specific comments or reasoning for his vote during the meeting.

Shumaker, who has been an outspoken critic of Pride Month resolutions since at least 2021 according to previous reporting by Carmen Nesbitt of Flint Beat, spent more than 20 minutes attacking the resolution based on his personal religious beliefs (his remarks begin around the 2:39 mark in the video). Shumaker has also previously criticized Genesee County’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Commission, which helps craft and bring these types of resolutions to the board for consideration.

Flewelling’s opposition, at least in his public comments, didn’t seem to be based on personal religious beliefs. Rather, his comments suggested he believes all of these types of resolutions are a waste of time (I reached out to ask Flewelling if that was a fair characterization of his remarks, but he did not respond). Flewelling’s comments begin at about the 3:05 mark of the video. He’s consistently voted against similar resolutions that have been brought before the board.

What Do These Resolutions Do?

They are largely symbolic gestures meant to simply convey support for different groups of people. Genesee County formed a DEI commission in 2021, partially in response to national and local protests of the killings by police of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and increased awareness of racial injustice and the ruinous, community-killing impact of structural racism all over the country. The County Commission was given the ability to appoint members from the public who would represent county employees, community members, and others in Genesee County in order to help advise on topics related to racial, economic, and gender equity in county government. 

Shumaker was briefly a member of the commission, but quit because he didn’t believe it was reflective enough of his conservative viewpoints. In the May 13 meeting, he repeatedly asked why the DEI commission hadn’t brought to the board any resolutions honoring law enforcement officers. He wouldn’t answer when he was pressed by fellow commissioners as to why he himself didn’t bring the resolution he was asking for, since all commissioners have the ability to bring any resolution they want to the floor for consideration.

I hesitate to engage with arguments like Shumaker’s, which I think he is making in bad faith, but I think it’s instructive to at least dissect some of it. 

These resolutions are designed to amplify voices and show support for members of our community who are racial or ethnic or religious minorities or women or LGBTQ+ people. Those are all groups of people who have historically been left out of government at all levels, or even had government weaponized against them. The DEI commission’s charge is to help people in power, like members of the Board of Commissioners, be aware of challenges faced by all members of their constituencies, particularly those whose voices are most often in need of amplification.

Law enforcement officers don’t fit any of those criteria, because law enforcement officers are a profession that people choose to work in, not a fact of who they are. 

Further, law enforcement officers are not excluded from political power. Far from it. They wield political power. Police budgets are frequently the largest portion of any municipal budget, including Genesee County’s – police-related expenses regularly make up roughly a third or more of the county’s budget each year. Even a hint of cutting a law enforcement budget by an elected official in any party is often met with swift rebukes and opposition, because police unions and interest groups who support law enforcement are organized and powerful.

Representatives from the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department have a seat at any table in local government they want – an employee was just in front of the board presenting information about food service contracts at the Genesee County Jail during the very same meeting Shumaker kept using law enforcement as an example of people in need of a resolution to affirm their political power. Recently, the Sheriff’s Department has had representatives asking for (and receiving) expanded funding for use of Flock cameras despite resident objections. They have business in front of the board at nearly every county meeting.

Law enforcement is a difficult and dangerous job, and all County Commissioners, including Shumaker, have the ability to write resolutions and bring them in front of the board for consideration. Board Chair Dale Weighill suggested as much during the meeting, and even said he’d likely support such a resolution if Shumaker were to bring one.

Because, again, these resolutions are not laws. They’re symbolic of an idea that people who make up our community are important to us and to the elected leaders who represent ALL of us. There are law enforcement officers in our communities, and a symbolic resolution of support for them would be non-controversial. Just like a resolution recognizing Pride Month should be.

Unclarified Positions

I reached out to Shumaker and Flewelling to see if they’d be willing to expand on their comments from the meeting. Neither responded. So in the interest of transparency, I’m summarizing the questions to both that I think are worth each addressing to their constituents. And if you are one of their constituents, I encourage you to reach out to them – you might have better luck getting a response than I did.

Both Shumaker and Flewelling alluded to receiving threats in the past for their previous opposition to Pride Month resolutions. I asked both if they could share any more detail on what those threats were, how many they received, and if they reported them to law enforcement.

I asked Shumaker about using his personal religious beliefs as his basis for deciding whether to vote for or against a local government initiative, whether he felt that was appropriate considering Constitutional protections related to separation of church and state, and whether he would similarly support a commissioner who adhered to a non-Christian faith or no faith at all using their beliefs as the basis for governmental decisions they were making.

I asked both if they were aware that LGBTQ+ people face much higher rates of bullying, harassment, suicide, and violence than the general population. I also asked both if they believe that, considering their votes and vocal opposition to a Pride resolution, LGBTQ+ constituents should feel confident reaching out to them for assistance with government issues, and whether their personal beliefs would prevent them from helping those constituents should they reach out.

An Ignored Constituency

Shumaker represents the Fenton area, which has seen major growth in recent years. Part of that growth has included efforts by a committed group of citizens to make the area more inclusive for LGTBQ+ people.

The Fenton Pride Collective was incorporated in May of 2022, and was originally formed to plan and host the annual Fenton Pride Festival but has since expanded to a wider range of community events, advocacy work, support groups, and other initiatives.

“Our mission, our goal is to make the Fenton area a safe and inclusive place for the LGBTQ+ community and to (reduce) discrimination and hate,” said Kaiah Switala, president of the Fenton Pride Collective board.

In a short amount of time, the group’s work has created more visibility, awareness, and safety for LGBTQ+ people in the community – a testament to the group’s positivity and community-mindedness. 

“I can’t even tell you how proud I am, I did not think that we would be here four years ago,” Switala said. “I had hopes we could grow and make this thing pretty big because it seemed like something that the Fenton area needed. We’re not the most non-accepting area, but there are still parts that need to be worked on and people that have very strong opinions around here. I thought there would be a lot more resistance, and it would be stronger. Not that we haven’t struggled and run into issues along the way, but I am extremely grateful for all of the volunteers and everybody that helps us. The board has been amazing over the years and the community too has just helped us grow and helped the event grow.”

Switala also noted that steps like the County Commission passing a yearly Pride Month resolution are extremely helpful for supporting visibility, understanding, and awareness of the issues faced by our LGBTQ+ neighbors in the community.

“It’s of the utmost importance,” Switala said. “Dale Weighill and the positively voting members of the commission have done a really great job in doing that. It shows the LGBTQ+ community that they are safe, that there are people that have their back despite all of the hate and the discrimination and the hardships they have to go through day to day.”

She also noted that it helps encourage more involvement in local government – something many Democrat and Republican members of the County Commission have said they feel is important.

“In the LGBTQ+ circles, we always talk about like, okay, who’s good for us, who’s not?,” Switala said. “Who can we talk to about these things and who’s gonna have our back when legislation comes down the pipeline about bathrooms or healthcare, whatever it is. Having somebody that has your back is so important.”

Switala believes that representatives like Shumaker should be committed to trying to represent their entire community.

“He’s supposed to represent Fenton, but he doesn’t represent all of Fenton,” she said. “I don’t think that the things that he says and the reasons that he cites are very welcoming to some of his constituents. Whether he believes it or not, he’s truly not representing all of us.”

People interested in getting involved with the Fenton Pride Collective can find more information on their website or Facebook or Instagram pages. Fenton Pride Fest 2026 is June 20 from 1-5 p.m. in Rackham Park. 

Burning a Bridge

Flewelling’s election to the County Commission was once a hopeful sign in a bitterly divided political climate, as he truly attracted bipartisan support during his campaign.

His opponent in the 2024 election ran as a Democrat despite being connected to local Republican politics in the past. Consequently, many Davison area voters who typically vote Democrat supported Flewelling. 

BABS (“Bad Ass Bitches”) for Democracy, a grassroots Davison-based Political Action Committee, was one prominent local organization that backed Flewelling. In their endorsement message, they wrote, “We found candidate Flewelling to be the most dependable and trustworthy public servant in his prior service to the citizens of Davison and Richfield. We believe he will best represent the residents of District 9 and respect his honesty.”

However, Bobbie Walton of BABs recently expressed her displeasure with Flewelling’s stance on this issue and his lack of understanding or care for why it is important to many constituents who voted for him.

“We endorsed Brian Flewelling in the last county Board of Commissioners race for District 9,” Walton wrote in a Facebook post. “I have been disappointed in the votes cast by Commissioner Flewelling against equity for LGBTQ+ people and non-religious people. We are not a Christian nation, and we must not become such a theocracy. We must speak out about any effort to harm us with a religious-themed government. Register, show up, vote. Speak up, object. Stand firm and speak truth. The campaign has begun to remove any focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion in our governing. Do not be deceived. Pay attention to Commissioner Shumaker, Commissioner Cousineau, and Commissioner Goetzinger. They are no better.”

Local Government Exists to Serve the Community

That statement is about as clear as I can be. As a voter, I’m sick of the idea that elected officials only need to listen to who they perceive got them elected. People in our communities in this county need help and support, and your job as elected leaders is to help. 

Poorly articulated personal religious beliefs like Shumaker expressed, or Flewelling essentially just expressing that he doesn’t care about things like Pride Month are poor examples of public service and send a terrible message to neighbors in our county. From a simple human perspective, the dismissiveness both showed is a poor example of trying to better understand people who aren’t like them. From an elected official perspective, they are glaring examples of failing to understand or care about the full districts that they are supposed to represent.

During the meeting, I appreciated Commissioner Delrico Loyd’s attempts to reason with Shumaker, although Shumaker was ultimately extremely dismissive of him too. Loyd, who is a pastor, after sitting through Shumaker lecturing to him and others about religious doctrine, simply said, “I’m not elected to be anyone’s pastor.”

I also appreciated Beverly Brown, PhD, “calling the question,” which is a motion under Robert’s Rules of Order to immediately end discussion and put the matter to a vote. I was very disappointed that her motion failed, because she correctly understood that Shumaker and Flewelling inappropriately pontificating for nearly an hour on something that is not controversial and should have minimal discussion before approval was actually damaging to the board’s credibility and to the community. Other commissioners allowing the rants to continue was a mistake.

We are all entitled to our personal beliefs. I steadfastly believe that Michael Jordan didn’t retire from the NBA to play baseball, I think he was secretly suspended for gambling. That “belief” doesn’t mean I’m right or even have evidence of it.

I love living in Flint and Genesee County. A huge and beautiful part of living here is the diversity of our communities. I expect elected officials, whatever their personal beliefs are, to treat everyone here with respect and make an effort to understand what their own blind spots are. And if they can’t do that, I expect people to vote them out of office.