A New Jersey councilwoman is under fire for posting a meme calling Easter eggs “aborted chicken babies that are painted in drag.”
Paula Gilligan, a Glen Rock councilwoman, had posted the rainbow meme to her Instagram to mock Christian pro-life beliefs.
By Sunday, Gilligan had issued a statement about the meme on the municipal website — but did not apologize.
“It has come to my attention that there are constituents in Glen Rock that have concerns with a meme on my personal Instagram story,” Gilligan wrote. “The meme takes aim at the absurdity of ‘personhood’ laws.”
Gilligan continued, “Currently 40 bills with personhood language have been proposed in 16 states. Personhood language refers to legal language that would codify the dangerous notion that from the moment of fertilization, an egg should be legally recognized as a person with full constitutional rights.”
“This legislation supports an extremist political position that I disagree with. It is my personal opinion that people have the right to control their bodies and their lives,” the politician continued.
The statement concluded with a non-apology: “My personal Instagram does not constitute the official views, opinions or beliefs of the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Glen Rock. To those who feel it mocks your holiday traditions, that was not my intention. Wishing all who celebrate a peaceful, joyous holiday.”
The entire Borough Council issued a statement with an actual apology.
“We have been made aware of a post that appeared on one of our Council Member’s personal Instagram stories. This post invoked Easter, the holiest day of the year in the Christian calendar, in a point about two issues that have nothing to do with Easter. As Mayor and members of the Borough Council, we want to apologize to everyone who was offended by this post.”
The statement continued, “We all feel very strongly that everyone’s religious beliefs and traditions must be treated with respect. They should not be the subject of jokes or inflammatory social media posts. That is even more true when the social media post is made by an elected official, because we are here to represent and support all Glen Rockers of all religious beliefs and backgrounds. We understand how important Easter and the symbols of Easter are to the many Glen Rockers who celebrate.”
“As we have stated on many occasions before, we believe strongly that Glen Rock should be an inclusive community that celebrates and honors everyone’s religious beliefs and traditions. This includes Christianity as well as all of the other religions represented in town. We call on all Glen Rockers to support and respect each other, and as your elected officials, we continue to strive to be examples of that support and respect.”
The entire council, including Gilligan, signed the statement.
