Oklahoma Town’s First Openly Gay Mayor Resigns Due To Concerns For His Safety

Adam Graham, the first openly gay mayor of The Village, Oklahoma, announced his resignation after receiving threats and harassment “bordering on violence.” Graham took office as the youngest and first openly gay mayor of this town in May, and submitted his resignation on Monday, July 18, stating that he “no longer felt safe” to remain in his position as Mayor.

The threats toward Graham escalated shortly after an altercation on May 28 with Nichols Hills police officers. An officer from the neighboring city was reported to have stopped a speeding vehicle three blocks within the city limits of The Village. Graham showed up shortly after the citizen was pulled over and is said to have told the officers to “get out” and informed them that they were not authorized to ticket citizens within the city limits of The Village. The police officers involved felt that Graham’s presence agitated the stopped driver and put their safety at an unnecessary risk, according to the report of the run-in.

Graham was given the opportunity to answer questions from the public regarding the incident but has not made an effort to answer them. This resulted in the threats and harassment directed toward Graham which he addressed in his resignation letter.

“Since 2018, I’ve fought against ageism, racism, and homophobia at every step,” Graham writes. “I was proud that The Village was ready for a young voice and for new ideas. Unfortunately, certain elements of the population have recently become emboldened to pursue threats and attacks bordering on violence. In the last month, I’ve been followed home from meetings, threatened while walking my dog, harassed at Starbucks, and have had my tires slashed.”

Due to the escalation of these behaviors, Graham announced his resignation, effective immediately, because of growing concern for his own safety.

Graham continues, “I will never apologize for standing up for the people I was elected to serve. I will never understand why some officials are more concerned with representing the interests of Nichols Hills than the interests of their constituents.”

While we are seeing increased numbers of LGBTQ people be elected into political office, Graham was only one of six openly LGBTQ officials in Oklahoma. Many LGBTQ politicians have also experienced and influx of interpersonal violence and harassment in recent years.

Graham plans to remain active in the community as a private citizen who “will work to make sure the best possible people are elected to service in city government.”

Photo courtesy of Adam Graham on Twitter