Councillor who unleashed NSFW homophobic tirade calling gay mayor a ‘b***h-a**’ paedophile refuses to step down
Trenton, New Jersey, councillor Robin Vaughn (L) and Trenton mayor Reed Gusciora – the city’s first openly gay mayor. (Trenton New Jersey City Council file photographs)
A New Jersey councillor has refused to resign after erupting into a horrific homophobic tirade against Trenton’s first gay mayor, who she called a “b***h-a**” paedophile.
Robin Vaughn unleashed an expletive-laced, 10-minute-long attack against Trenton mayor Reed Gusciora in a daily call about the coronavirus crisis.
Audio showed the conflict was triggered by Gusciora bringing up the councillor’s previous comments on social media, describing non-profits as “do-nothing” organisations.
The call descended into a shouting match as Vaughn went into a “complete meltdown,” accusing another city official of performing a sex act on the mayor.
Vaugh faced numerous calls to resign after the incident, including from governor Phil Murphy and both the state’s senators, Robert Menendez and Cory Booker.
The state’s largest LGBT+ advocacy group, Garden State Equality, called her “unfit to serve the people of Trenton”.
“There’s no need to parse words here: for her hateful anti-LGBT+ language and defending the antisemitic slurs of others, she must resign,” executive director Christian Fuscarino said.
Robin Vaugh apologises for vile anti-gay rant, but won’t quit.
Vaughn has refused to step down, but issued an apology on Facebook and Twitter.
“I apologise. That must be the first thing you hear from me,” she said in a statement. “I am deeply and specifically sorry for the language that has offended so many.”
Vaughn stated in her apology that she did not intend to attack anyone on the basis of any classification or personal preferences, and that she should have been more sensitive to the potential implication of her words and how they might be perceived.
“In any event, the language used and statements were not appropriate and I regret letting my emotions get the best of me,” she said.
“It was wrong and I own that. As an elected official, my responsibility to the citizenry is to represent with dignity, decency and respect of all persons, no matter our individual differences, behaviours or presentations.”
