‘Slate of hate’: Clarksville councilman compares Pride month celebration to ‘Satan’

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – A Clarksville councilmember remains on the city’s board despite making controversial comments during an executive meeting on Friday ahead of the city’s pride celebration.

Councilman Travis Holleman, who represents Ward 7 in Clarksville, made several unfounded claims and shared personal, non-inclusive opinions during the presentation, including saying the “Prince of Pride is Satan,” using the Biblical figure’s moniker to condemn the event aimed at celebrating the LGBTQ community’s self- and social acceptance. Holleman also took a shot at the city’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion officer by comparing them to the Communist Party.

“I’m going to be very careful to hone my fury at this absolute slate of hate that we were just forced to listen to,” said Ward 9 Councilmember Karen Reynolds in response to the presentation. “As a mother and a sister, everything you just said was absolutely against every ounce of my family value of unconditional love … it’s a lack of understanding and pure hate.”

Reynolds was the only person to push back against Holleman during the meeting. A spokesperson for Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts said he has “no comment on this” when contacted by WSMV4. During the meeting, Pitts interrupted Reynolds’ rebuttal saying the mother and military veteran was taking Holleman’s comments too personally.

“You want your representative to be able to (stand up) for you,” Clarksville Pride founder Anita Hart said. “Thinking that you are left out of that simply because of who you are, how you were born, the color of your skin or what sex you are -- things like that, it does not make you feel free, it does not make you feel like your voice matters.”

Hart said the city’s Pride event was a big success despite the controversial comments. She said Holleman’s comments were heartbreaking and “absolutely not the message we want to send to anybody that lives in Clarksville.”

Holleman ended his presentation by telling the City of Clarksville to “repent,” and then resigned from his position on the city’s parks and recreation committee. The Pride event was held at the Wilma Rudolph Event Center, a public facility managed by the Parks and Recreation Department.

When contacted for this story, Holleman made more unfounded claims that there is “an agenda at play much bigger than we everyday Americans can see,” and said it is forcing social change and pushing a communist agenda. He said LGBTQ residents are a threat to Clarksville and that he had no choice but to speak up.

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