At a public meeting on September 21, Klickitat County Commissioner Dan Christopher moved to fire countys health officer, Dr. Amy Person because she called to revive a state mask mandate. No one supported Christopher's motion, which seemed to enrage Christopher as he gave an emotional speech linking the the trauma of sexual assault to mask-wearing.
From Oregon Public Broadcasting:
In a roughly 4-minute speech, sometimes pausing for emotion, the first-term commissioner said he felt ordering the public to wear masks disregarded the "mental health and safety of the 1-in-4 girls that were sexually molested as children and the 1-in-6 women who have been forcibly raped."
"My question is: who is looking out for these people, that got the vaccine even though they didn't want it? But they couldn't have something over their face — a mask or a hand — to bring back memories that trigger panic attacks and PTSD?" Christopher said.
…
"Then understand the masks (sexual abuse survivors) are forced to wear by the governor, even after getting the vaccine, might as well be the governor's hand silencing the screams of their past," Christopher added. "I'm sorry if that hurts some of your feelings or upsets you, but that's where I stand."
Someone attending the meeting called Christopher's comments "gross." Christopher flipped him the bird.
Meanwhile, last week in Clackamas County, Oregon, commissioner Mark Shull posted a meme to Facebook that likened vaccine mandates to the Holocaust.
[thanks, Michael!]
