Chuck,

I have a confession to make: I didn’t go to the ethics board or the press back in January 2019 because I didn’t want to get on your bad side.

Matthew’s wife and I had announced our intention to apply for one of the two licenses, and I didn’t want to risk saying anything publicly and angering the “go-to” guy for all things cannabis on the Select Board, potentially opening Matthew’s wife and me up to some political retribution in the form of a “No” vote on our business proposal.

My behavior was self-serving (not that it got me anywhere) and, to this day, I’m ashamed that I chose to address it with you and you alone. Given what I have come to believe about you (in the last ten months) I suspect when you got my email, back in January 2019, you rolled your eyes and then drafted something to mollify “that uppity bitch.”

I can almost hear you saying:

Who does that Jenna Brownson think she fucking is telling me how to conduct myself?

Well, Chuck, I live here, too.

And while dated, it ought to have been an open letter.

So, without further ado, my email to you, Chuck:

Dear Chuck,

Despite my efforts to speak to you in person, I am reducing my thoughts and concerns to writing, which ultimately may be better, as you will have this email to read and re-read, perhaps with some lasting effect.

Twelve days ago, I was utterly stunned when I ran into you, an elected town official, in town hall, conducting town business, donning a hat with a known homophobic slur across the front. You explained that your hat was a gift from one of your children and that it was something of a “family joke.”

The word “faggot” is one of many words that fall into the unenviable category of hate speech. And while hate speech is protected by the First Amendment, in the governance of a small town, I am of the opinion—as are others—that there simply is no room, nor any viable excuse, for the display of such a slur. In sharing my experience with others, there were calls for your immediate resignation, suggestions that you publicly denounce your behavior, and a groundswell of support for the media to be informed of your actions.

My compassionate choice to not pursue any of those avenues is based on my belief that outward pressure shouldn’t force you to consider your actions. Instead, it is my hope that you truly internalize my comments regarding your choice and consider the negative, reverberating effects of your decision to wear that hat. A peer-aged friend, who is gay, said, “That’s the sort of hat that homophobes wear to get gay kids to kill themselves. That’s the sort of hat my hateful, intolerant father would have worn.” 

It is my deep belief that no one should ever wear Nazi armbands, KKK hoods, or “FAGGOT” hats., especially not in public. If these emblems of hate are important to wear, for reasons unfathomable to most, these grotesque displays ought to be kept within the privacy of one’s own home, perhaps alongside those family members who find the need to be expressive in those ways as “funny.” For me, and others who endorse civility and kindness, most pointedly in the realm of community and governance, there is nothing funny about any of it.

With seriousness and concern,

Jenna

P.S. As I wanted Anthony and Cindy to know of my disgust, I initially thought to include them on this email. Doing so would make this mail to “selectman correspondence,” thereby making your action, and my subsequent reaction, part of the public record, I decided to take this more private route instead, though you should know that they are aware that I am addressing this matter in this way.