A clout-hungry MAGA city council member in California’s Coachella Valley is using his position as Palm Desert’s mayor pro tem to try and divide what’s long been a close-knit community of desert cities over the issue of LGBTQ+ rights.

Young Republican Joe Pradetto introduced a resolution last week to rewrite the city’s Pride resolution to strip it of references to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and to bar the city from hanging the Pride banner from City Hall under the guise of “government neutrality.”

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The proposal rocked the community of cities around Palm Springs, a longtime bastion for LGBTQ+ residents and visitors.

Initially slated for review at the council’s next meeting in January, the uproar prompted officials to call an emergency session yesterday to debate it.

Asked about the urgency, a city spokesperson told the Desert Sun, “Scheduling the meeting immediately is how we ensure that transparent consideration happens promptly, rather than leaving the matter unresolved.”

Longtime councilmember Jan Harnik was more blunt, calling the proposal “destructive,” and adding “We had to act on it immediately.”

The meeting attracted hundreds from across the Coachella Valley.

Nearly everyone who spoke in three and a half hours of public comment denounced Pradetto’s resolution, saying the proposed change would be harmful to both LGBTQ+ populations in the valley and to the economy of Palm Desert.

“For queer residents and tourists, this proposal implies you’re not welcome in Palm Desert,” said Jacob Frick, who’s lived with his husband in Palm Desert for 11 years and grew up in a generation “filled with homophobia.”

“Even if this proposal doesn’t pass today, significant damage has already been done,” Frick said.

“You say Palm Desert is welcoming to everyone, but your actions suggest otherwise,” Eugene Williams told Pradetto, after the mayor pro tem spent 15 minutes defending his resolution.

The blowback wasn’t limited to Democrats. Over the weekend, Republican California Assemblymember Greg Wallis said Pradetto’s call to ban the Pride banner was “a slap in the face” to LGBTQ+ residents.

One speaker called that description “right on the money.”

Pradetto’s losing opponent for his council seat, Kathleen Kelly, spoke about the importance of visibility for the community, and the banner’s place on City Hall during Pride month in November.

“What does it mean that some of your constituents have pushed back about Pride?” he asked, rhetorically. “Maybe it means that current policy is important and is working, because that pushback reveals how important it is to celebrate the occasion visibly as a prompt to learn about other people’s experience.”

A city staff member added to that argument. Stripping the Pride resolution of inclusive language “sends a message that visibility itself is something to be withdrawn,” said Bobby Keatinge.

But Pradetto stood by his proposal, maintaining the city’s current policy “gets it wrong.” The government’s role should be as “neutral referee,” he said.

“When the government uses public facilities to elevate one group, even with the best of intentions, it creates an implicit priority,” Pradetto claimed.

The council disagreed, voting down his proposal 4-1. Pradetto was the lone vote in favor.

Veteran local news anchor Fred Roggin interviewed Pradetto prior to the meeting, with the MAGA mayor pro tem trying to sell his neutrality argument to one of the gayest populations in the country.

“Read the room,” Roggin said in the intro.

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