Portland politician blasts elderly constituent’s tattoo criticism – oregonlive.com:
Composed on personalized stationery, the woman’s 16-word missive suggested that tattoos “are very personal” and can be a turnoff “to many people,” an apparent reference to the council president’s heavily-inked and often visible forearms.
“Please consider wearing long sleeved shirts in public,” reads the note, which appears to be torn in half.
To be fair, there’s no way Portland City Council President Jamie Dunphy could know this handwritten letter is from a 95 year-old constituent. From the tone, one could infer that it’s well-intentioned.
Dunphy, responding by hand on his own city of Portland stationery, impolitely declined.“No,” reads the letter he posted to Instagram. “Mind your own business and keep your small-minded opinions about other peoples bodies to yourself – Jamie.”
This is prime example of how to be right on the facts, right on the principles, and still be a jackass.
In a statement Wednesday, Dunphy doubled down on his original message to the woman.
“I am genuinely shocked by the audacity of any person in our community thinking it is appropriate to contact elected officials criticizing their bodies or appearance,” he said. “I refuse to tolerate body-policing in any capacity, regardless of whether the individual was old enough to know better.”
“Portlanders pride ourselves on our weirdness and our ability to openly be ourselves,” Dunphy continued. “I am honored to be able to reflect that as a leader in our city government.”
The problem here now isn’t that you’re all tatted up. It’s that you’re a jerk. You could choose to cover up the tats tomorrow; the other part is a longer-term fix.