Patrick Von Dohlen, president of the anti-LGBT San Antonio Family Association (SAFA), issued an action alert to his members urging them to oppose the appointment of a lesbian business woman to a mayoral commission.
“Here we go again…,” the December 11 alert reads. “SA City Council this Thursday, December 13, will appoint what appears to be a homosexual female to the Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women.”
Von Dohlen has long-rallied against LGBT equality. In 2013, the SAFA formed a coalition with other right wing extremists to oppose the nondiscrimination ordinance passed by the City Council.
The Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women is comprised of 11 members appointed by the mayor and each city council member. The commission advises the City Council “on matters affecting the employment opportunities, education, social, civic and political participation by women in the American way of life.”
Ruby Resendez (Courtesy photo)
The person referred to in Von Dohlen’s alert is Ruby Resendez, a business owner and former president of the San Antonio LGBT Chamber of Commerce. District 8 Councilman Manny Pelaez nominated Resendez to the commission.
“Ruby is a respected and engaged San Antonian,” Councilman Pelaez said in an email to Out In SA. “She owns a successful business, she is an employer, she has impressive credentials, she cares about her community, she is a recognized leader, she has valuable insights that I value, she’s a hard worker, she has the respect of her peers, she is a serious thinker and has a reputation for knowing how to navigate difficult conversations in a thoughtful and inclusive way. In short, I chose Ruby because she exhibits the traits of a leader and because she genuinely cares about the problems that this commission is tasked with addressing. I’m proud of the excellent work this commission does and I know Ruby will add to that excellence.”
“As a proud San Antonian, I feel labels should never disqualify anyone from serving at any capacity for their city,” Resendez told Out In SA. “When I think about San Antonio I think inclusion and diversity for everyone. I am proud to be appointed to serve on this commission by Councilman Pelaez. I am just as proud to be part of the strong San Antonio LGBTQ community.”
A pattern of disparaging comments
Von Dohlen’s alert makes reference to two other women who were recently appointed to city posts and who he targeted in previous alerts.
Brielle Insler (Photo: Düable Brand Trust Marketing)
The first, Brielle Insler, the chief creative officer at Düable Brand Trust Marketing, was appointed in November to the Commission on the Status of Women. On the SAFA website, Von Dohlen describes Insler as a “feminazi” who is “pro-homosexual,” “pro-abortion” and “concerned about only a minority of women which means she is part of a special interest group.”
Dr. Chichi Junda Woo (Courtesy photo)
The second woman is Dr. Chichi Junda Woo, who was appointed medical director of the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District in August, and who Von Dohlen has described in emails and in the media as a “Planned Parenthood abortionist.”
Last year, Von Dohlen made a run for City Council District 9 but never mustered enough support to make it to the runoff. He is a partner at the Von Dohlen Knuffke Financial Group, one of 33 Texas businesses that signed a letter circulated by the anti-LGBT group Texas Values in support of the failed bathroom bill proposed by Republicans during last year’s session of the State Legislature.
In his alert about Resendez, Von Dohlen tells SAFA members to contact their City Council representatives to tell them that they are “sick and tired [of] our elected officials, appointing pro-abortion, pro-homosexual persons to City Boards and Commissions whose actions and recommendations will demoralize you, your family and your community as these appointees will eventually if not immediately usurp life, undermine marriage, attack family, and unknowingly promote domestic failure.”
“Who you love is not a disqualifier to serving your community,” says Councilman Pelaez. “Public service is a calling and all that is required is showing up and caring. I don’t screen my board appointees to meet culture-wars standards. When I vet an applicant for a board appointment I look for qualifications and authenticity. Ruby is very qualified and her desire to serve is authentic.”
