The Erie County Democratic Party is calling for City Councilman Ed Brzezinski to make a public apology regarding what the party calls the “deliberate misgendering” of council’s president and fellow Democrat Tyler Titus, on June 9.
At a special meeting June 9 regarding Erie Events’ proposed $14 million bayfront market house project, Brzezinski at one point referred to Titus — who is openly transgender and uses they/them pronouns — as “ma’am” during a tense exchange about the project.
Erie City Councilman Ed Brzezinski.
“The foundation of public service is respect: respect for constituents, respect for colleagues, and respect for the community’s public officials are elected to serve,” local Democratic Party officials said in a statement posted June 13 on the party’s Facebook page.
“Addressing a person by their correct name and pronouns is not optional, and it is not a matter of political preference. It is the minimum expectation of professionalism, dignity, and public service.”
Brzezinski could not immediately be reached for comment.
Titus responds on social media
Council, during that June 9 meeting, would vote unanimously to approve a crucial zoning approval for the market house. The panel had rejected the project on May 20.
Titus immediately focused on keeping order from the council dais.
Erie City Council President Tyler Titus.
But the next day, on June 10, Titus posted a lengthy message on Facebook regarding the incident.
“Yesterday, a colleague intentionally referred to me as “ma’am” after being called to order,” Titus wrote. “Let’s be clear about what happened.
“I am the President of Erie City Council. I was elected by the people of this city and unanimously chosen by my colleagues to serve in this role. My colleague did not accidentally forget my title. He did not accidentally misspeak. He intentionally chose disrespect.”
In its June 15 Facebook statement, the Erie County Democratic Party wrote that it “condemns” Brzezinski’s remark.
“Our party stands with Dr. Titus and queer residents across Erie County, and we call on Councilmember Brzezinski to issue a sincere public apology and to demonstrate a renewed commitment to treating all colleagues, constituents, and community members with dignity and respect.”
Brzezinski has been accused of publicly disrespecting City Council colleagues before.
He was criticized heavily by other City Council and members of the public after he could be heard referring to former City Councilwoman Liz Allen as a “broad” and as a “nut” during an online City Council meeting on Nov. 18, 2020.
Allen called Brzezinski’s words “disrespectful.”
Brzezinski apologized publicly during a December 2, 2020 City Council meeting, saying that “the ‘broad’ comment was a terrible comment. … “Hopefully we can bury that and move forward.”
Contact Kevin Flowers at kflowers@timesnews.com. Follow him on X at@ETNflowers.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie County Democrats want city councilman to issue public apology