I have a copy of Dee Seehusen's letter that she wrote to the City Council after she had been charged as a homophobic and dismissed from a city commission over a letter to the Culver City News.
After reading this letter and her explanation, I will make the charge that the City Council has a phobia about homophobics — under the bed, in the closet, and anyone who believes in free speech.
Here is Ms. Seehusen’s letter:
Re Dec. 14 City Council Agenda, Item A-1
Dear Mayor, Vice Mayor, and City Councilmen:
Since I am unable to speak before the Council on Dec. 14 because of my recent spinal surgery, I am sending this email regarding Item A-1 on the agenda.
I am not homophobic. I am not discriminatory.
How could I be?
I am a registered nurse, and I keep my license active.
I worked at Brotman hospital for 6 years on a Med-Surg floor. I certainly did not discriminate against any of my patients. They were from all walks of life — old, young, gay, straight, black, white, Jewish, Christian, etc.
I certainly was not homophobic or biased when I ran my successful tanning salon for 12 years in Marina del Rey. I had customers from all classifications and walks of life.
As far as being a landlord, my husband and I had gay tenants for several years and they were two of our best tenants ever. Therefore, as a Landlord-Mediator it is clear that I would certainly be unbiased.
I spoke with Mr. (Mark) Scott (the City Manager) on Dec. 10, and received the agenda for Dec. 14.
My husband and I then listened to the Nov. 23 Council meeting webcast (where the homophobic charges were raised) on our computer. I had no previous information that a Marvin Brown spoke before the City Council on that date against my letter to the C.C. News editor on the 19th of November. He called me homophobic and misrepresented what I said in my letter. I did not say that I was “happy” that I didn't vote for “them.”
I do not know Marvin Brown and, as far as I know, he does not know me.
It seems to me that perhaps someone told him that I am on the Landlord-Tenant Mediation Board and asked him to speak out against me! My goodness!! I would never say or do anything that would cause Culver City to be sued. I feel that Mr. Brown is insulting my intelligence by inferring that I might do so.
I wrote the letter while I was still in the hospital after my 5 1/2 hour spinal surgery. What struck me “in my face” was when I read the Nov. 5 C.C. News where Karlo (Silbiger) proclaimed the election meant a lot for “diversity in Culver City, as we will now have two School Board members from the LGBT community”, referring to himself and Ms. Paspalis.
It seems that if he felt that people needed to know that, why didn't he run his campaign on the same issues?
Like Mr. Resnick wrote in his letter to the C.C. News on Dec. 3, “I thought Silbiger was voted in to represent the Culver City community to work on school issues, not to politicize his or anyone else's sexual orientation.” That is actually what I was thinking and trying to express when I wrote my letter.
I respectfully ask you to let me continue to serve on the Landlord-Tenant Mediation Board.
Very Sincerely,
Dee Seehusen
I may not agree with everything Dee Seehusen says.
But I think it was cowardly to conveniently label her a homophobic and then follow it up by firing her.
This only puts a damper on freedom of expression.
Mr. Zirgulis, formerly a School Board candidate and currently a contender for the City Council in the April 13 election, may be contacted at zirgulisr@yahoo.com
