Mayor Pro Tem Kevin Reece of Ronda, North Carolina officially signed a proclamation ostracizing any LGBTQ+ individuals who reside in the Wilkes county town of 400. In doing so, Reece has essentially proven he is incapable of governing for residents who are different from himself.
As reported by Qnotes June 8, the town of Ronda announced plans to sign a proclamation designating June as Faith, Family and Freedom Month. The move came in response to North Carolina Governor Josh Stein’s proclamation in support of LGBTQ Pride month in North Carolina, which is largely recognized across the country.
Ronda’s proclamation was approved unanimously by the town board during its June 9 meeting at Town Hall.
Reece and Commissioners Chris Nelson, Helen Porter, and Matthew Foster voted in favor of the measure. Nelson introduced the motion, which was seconded by Foster. Commissioner Bobby Munsey was absent.
Explaining his reasoning for the measure, Reece told The Wilkes Record, “Ronda is struggling just like our county. I noticed the Governor’s Proclamation making June Pride Month. The majority of our citizens believe in order for our town to be blessed we must stand for ‘Faith, Family and Freedom’ vs. the pride movement. I have spoken with many citizens and local leaders in the community, and they are supportive of this.”
The proposal drew criticism from Samuel Neil Byrd, a Wilkes County resident who serves as a theologian, chaplain, educator and counselor within the Episcopal Church. Byrd addressed the board during the meeting and had previously submitted a four-page letter outlining his concerns.
“I am deeply troubled by the proposed resolution to designate June as ‘Faith, Family, and Freedom Month,’ especially because public reporting states that it was introduced ‘in response’ to Governor Josh Stein’s recognition of June as LGBTQ Pride Month. The reporting also notes that, if passed, the town would designate June 2026 as ‘Faith, Family, and Freedom Month’ and ‘commend all other towns, counties, and states to’ do the same.
“Those statements make the purpose clear. This is not simply a celebration of faith, families, or freedom, it is a political response to the longstanding designation of June as Pride Month. It uses the sacred language of faith, family, and freedom to imply that LGBTQ people are somehow opposed to those values.”
He also argued that opposition to LGBTQ inclusion does not represent the views of all Christians, stating, “The Episcopal Church is not alone. Many mainline Christian denominations, pastors, theologians, and faithful Christians reject the claims of Christian nationalist propaganda. Many Christians in Wilkes County and across rural America do not agree with using Jesus as a weapon against LGBTQ people. These views are not biblically sound. They are not theologically sound. They are not pastorally sound.”
According to Reece, reaction within Ronda itself has been limited. He said only two town residents contacted him to voice concerns about the proclamation. However, he reported receiving calls from outside the community objecting to the measure.
“I’ve been getting calls from non-local citizens cursing me out, etc. The same freedoms that allow them to do that is the same freedoms that allows … me to believe the way I do,” Reece said.
The proclamation places Ronda among a small number of municipalities that have formally adopted a declaration positioning “Faith, Family, and Freedom Month” as an alternative to Pride Month, a move supporters of inclusion characterize as a response aimed at erasing LGBTQ+ recognition, while supporters describe it as their brand of “community values.”
The Ronda proclamation – which succinctly blurs any separation of church and government – is included below.
Proclamation of Faith, Family, and Freedom Month
WHEREAS, the Town of Ronda is a duly chartered municipality within Wilkes County, North Carolina; and
WHEREAS, the Preamble to the Constitution of the State of North Carolina states that: “We, the people of the State of North Carolina, grateful to Almighty God, the Sovereign Ruler of Nations, for the preservation of the American Union and the existence of our civil, political and religious liberties, and acknowledging our dependence upon Him for the continuance of those blessings to us and our posterity, do, for the more certain security thereof and for the better government of this State, ordain and establish this Constitution”; and
WHEREAS, that aforesaid Preamble acknowledges that the solid foundation of any well-ordered government is Almighty God; and
WHEREAS, on May 8, 2012, 1,317,178 voters in the State of North Carolina voted to approve an amendment to the North Carolina Constitution defining marriage as between one man and one woman, which was 61.04% of eligible ballots cast; and
WHEREAS, within the United States of America, governments, activists, corporations, and individuals have often designated the month of June as “Pride Month,” a designation which purports to support equality and anti-discrimination, but which the Town of Ronda finds in practice affirms and celebrates disordered lifestyles that ultimately harm any individuals who partake therein and are otherwise contrary to their fundamental happiness; and
WHEREAS, the Town of Ronda shall indeed state that it opposes any wrongful or unlawful discrimination against any person, even if done for someone having same-sex attraction, gender dysphoria, or another condition placing them in the so-called “LGBT” community, but that such a stance does not require that the Town of Ronda or its citizens affirm or celebrate the aforesaid disordered lifestyles; and
WHEREAS, the month of June has not only been designated as Pride Month, but that it has also historically been designated for other causes, such as Caribbean-American Heritage Month, Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month, National Safety Month, and the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus; and
WHEREAS, Father’s Day and D-Day also fall within the month of June, which are commemorations of family and our forefathers fighting for freedom, respectively; and
WHEREAS, the Town of Ronda believes that it is more fitting and appropriate for the month of June, if it be designated for any cause, should be designated to three of the causes of the continued happiness of the Town, the County, the State, and the United States of America, which are: continued faith in and devotion to Almighty God, the healthy and well-ordered natural family, and the freedom and liberty for which our forefathers died;
NOW, THEREFORE, we, the Board of the Town of Ronda, do hereby proclaim June 2026 as “Faith, Family, and Freedom Month” in the Town of Ronda and commend all other towns, counties, and states to so designate the month of June within their territories.
This the ninth day of June 2026.
