A County Council Member in Muncie, Indiana, Now Identifies as ‘Woman of Color’

Delaware County Councilman — or councilwoman — Ryan Webb now identifies as a woman of color.

Webb’s Facebook proclamation was met with criticism and, Webb said, death threats.

Webb, a Republican not running for reelection this year, initially announced the identity shift earlier this month on a social media account.

Ryan Webb, in this 2020 file photo, recently announced on Facebook he now identifies as a “woman of color.”
“After much consideration I have decided to come out and finally feel comfortable announcing my true authentic self,” Webb wrote. “It is with great relief that I announce to everyone that I identify as a woman and not just any woman but as a woman of color as well. I guess this would make me gay/lesbian as well, since I am attracted to women.

“Whew, that felt good to finally get that out there and start living life as my true self,” he wrote. “I’m excited to bring some diversity to the county council. Until today we didn’t have any females of color or LGBTQIAPC+++ on the council. I’m glad that now we do!

“To avoid confusion, everyone can continue to address me as Ryan or as Councilman Webb. I will also retain my preferred pronouns of He/Him, however, this will in no way diminish my true identity as a woman of color. I’m excited to be a vocal partner of the LGBTQIAPC+++ movement. Who knows just how far we can take things, but I’m just glad that this is now possible so ANYONE can be ANYTHING or ANYONE they want.

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The post was signed with a string of emojis, including the American Flag, a rainbow flag, a person of color, a winking smiley face and a bicep flex.

Charlize Jamieson, a transgender female who lives in Webb’s council district, perhaps took note of the winking smiley-face emoji to judge the proclamation as nothing more than mockery.

“In an effort to make fun of Transgender/Non-Binary individuals, Ryan Webb ‘came out’ on social media as a ‘Lesbian Woman of Color,'” Jamieson, 67, told The Star Press. “Since his initial post, he has doubled down, repeatedly, on his ‘status.’ He has a history of making transphobic comments, so it was very easy to see through his bigotry.”

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