Watch: ND City Council Member Claps Back at Homophobic Comments, Comes Out in the Process

Carrie Evans, a city council member for Minot, North Dakota, clapped back at homophobic residents who complained during a city council meeting about a Pride flag being flown at city hall - and she came out of the closet while she was at it, reports local newspaper the Minot Daily News.

Evans sat through one anti-LGBTQ comment after another at the Sept. 8 city council meeting as local residents vented their displeasure over the Pride flag. After one member of the public zeroed in on Evans, critiquing her "body language" and declaring that Evans was not "getting it," Evans let loose, recounted an op-ed published at another local paper, The Dickinson Press.

Evans let it be known that she herself was a member of the LGBTQ community, telling the room, "I am probably the first openly elected lesbian in North Dakota."

Evans went on to underscore the importance of visibility and representation in the American heartland, saying, "Every single person is entitled to see themselves represented. We are not some group of people who live in San Francisco or Seattle. We are here. We are your elected officials. We are your brothers. We are your sisters.

"And don't tell me you're not 'hatred and anger,'" Evans added, in response to some who had claimed they were not homophobic and were not speaking from a place of anti-LGBTQ antipathy. "That's all I feel, I've had to listen to it for days now as has the mayor and many of my colleagues. It is unacceptable. This city is big enough for all of us."

Evans wasn't done yet, though. She went on to observe that, "Me having a flag flying doesn't take away anything from your rights and freedoms. But you know what it does for me? It shows me I live in a city that appreciates and embraces me and the people of my community, and that I can live here and feel safe."

Evans told the man who had asked her for her thoughts, "I'm sorry that it doesn't make you feel comfortable, but we're here, we're queer, and we're not going away."

The man's response: "Thank you, thank you for exposing yourself and your anger."

Media sources noted that other banners, such as the POW/MIA flag and the Juneteenth flag, have also been flown at the Minot city hall.

The entirety of the city council meeting where Evans spoke her mind can be viewed below. The exchange begins at approximately the 1 hour-55-minute mark.