June is the globally recognized Pride Month for members of the LGBTQ+ community, and it always comes with many controversies. From the Pride parades to communities to people in political power, controversies around the LGBTQ+ community always make headlines in June, and this month is no exception.

Dave Williams is the state chairman of the Colorado Republican Party. He is currently facing a lot of backlash after making several comments about the LGBTQ+ community unprovoked and during Pride Month. He said that the community was made up of “godless groomers” and that “God hates pride.” Now, over 100 Republicans have started a petition to oust him from his position for his negative comments towards the community. 

The Republican chairman made these offensive statements in an email sent out on June 3. The Denver Post reported that the email title read, “God hates pride.” In the body of the email, Williams claimed that the people who support LGBTQ+ are “godless groomers,” and God was not happy with them. He also posted a video of a pastor preaching with a thumbnail that said that God hates flags.

The official X (formerly Twitter) account of the Colorado Republican Party responded to news of the controversial email by making a shocking statement. The post commanded followers to burn all the Pride flags they came across in June. Many Republicans, including those who live in Colorado, are quite disappointed by this post, stating that it was inciting violence and preventing freedom of speech. 

The Party’s post to its followers has had a lot of negative real-life consequences. After the post went up, many Pride flags in Colorado were stolen, destroyed, and removed from people’s homes. KDVR reported one incident where a woman and her neighbor’s Pride flags were removed by someone who took them, banged on their window, and screamed insults at them and the entire LGBTQ+ community.

These incidents and the post on X have received mainstream attention from several media outlets and organizations, which has led to severe backlash for Williams and the Colorado Republican Party. While many people understand that the mail and post do not represent the entire party, they still find it quite offensive that these anti-LGBTQ+ statements are happening at all, even worse, during Pride Month. 

Republicans from all over the country and Colorado strongly oppose Williams’s message, citing that it could hurt the Republican political party as a whole. Valdamar Archuleta, the leader of the state’s Log Cabin Republicans, criticized the email, saying that it was a really bad message that was also divisive in nature. He also noted his disapproval of the “God Hates Flags” video, which was an obvious reference to the Westboro Baptist Church.

This email is only one of the multiple controversial actions the party chair has taken since he was out of power. Earlier this year, in March, the media got wind of his alleged business dealings with China during the COVID-19 pandemic. Critics say he has very close relations with the country, citing him as a non-trustworthy citizen and political leader. 

Williams has always been controversial, but this last email has pushed his Republican colleagues over the edge. Therefore, they are calling for his resignation, as they believe he is not fit to represent the Republicans in any capacity. Nancy Pallozzi, the County GOP Chairwoman, told Colorado Politics that the party is done with him and was disappointed by his comments and posts.

Over 100 Republicans have come forward to support ousting Williams from his position. They believe an aggressive approach is needed to show their total disapproval of his actions and comments. Pallozzi, who launched the petition to oust the chairman, told Colorado Politics that Williams’ actions in the past few months have become too extreme to accept or ignore. 

Dick Wadhams, the former chairman of the Colorado Republican Party, has publicly agreed with the criticism that Dave Williams has gotten. He believes that Williams violated every tradition, bylaw, and norm that the Republican Party has been cultivating for hundreds of years. Wadhams also said that Williams was only pushing an agenda he believed in and was not directly representing the Republican Party.

Democrats are also very vocal about their disapproval of Williams’ email and X posts. They have accused him of bigotry and want him held accountable for his actions. Shad Murib, a Democrat Colorado Chair, put out a statement in an X post, saying that the GOP has to hold Williams accountable, or they would assume that his words stood for all the GOP members in the country. Murib added that Democrats would make sure the voters are aware of this.

Williams is currently in the middle of a very aggressive primary battle with Jeff Crank over Colorado’s 5th Congressional District Seat. Just last week, both candidates had a debate where Williams defended his comments against the LGBTQ+ community. He said all he cared about was publicizing God’s message and biblical teachings, which frown upon the LGBTQ+ community. Williams also stated that he is ready to lose his position and the election for it.