WA mayor blows up on LGBTQ activist over flag debate

Flag controversy ignites heated Newcastle city council debate

Newcastle Mayor Robert Clark is back in the headlines following a fiery exchange at a city council meeting over the topic of flags. The debate, sparked by resident Jenn McAleer's comments, revisits the mayor's controversial stance on flying the Pride flag at City Hall.

SEATTLE - A mayor and activist debate which flags should be able to fly over city hall in a Seattle suburb, and for how long.

A mayor in Washington state blew up on an LGBTQ activist after she described the city flying the Prisoner of War/Missing in Action flag as a "political stunt" during the public comment portion of the city council meeting on Tuesday.

The exchange took place near the end of the Newcastle City Council meeting between Mayor Robert Clark and a woman whose first name is Jen. Newcastle is a suburb of Seattle.

Jen was the first person to speak after Clark opened the floor for public comment, and she began by stating she hopes the mayor will support the pride flag "in proclamation this year" since he has a "new-found appreciation" for flags besides the American flag.

Jen M., an LGBTQ activist, called Newcastle Mayor Robert Clark's approach "disgusting" for flying a POW/MIA flag after saying no other flags will be flown above city hall besides the American flag. (City of Newcastle/YouTube)

She was referencing a vote by the city council last year to not fly the pride flag over city hall during pride month, which was later flipped after public outrage. At the time, Clark said that if the pride flag was going to be flown, then everybody's flag had to be flown.

"Do you want a Hamas flag flying over the City of Newcastle? Or a MAGA flag? How about a Trump flag or an Antifa flag? We’re not going there folks," Clark stated. "Everybody is equally represented by the American flag."

Jen said while she is "very much in support" of veterans, POWs and MIAs, she thinks flying the POW/MIA flag "100 days a year is a political stunt."

Newcastle Mayor Robert Clark blew up on an LGBTQ activist who said flying the POW/MIA flag over city hall is a "political stunt" after not wanting to fly the pride flag. (Shannon Finney/Getty Images)

Jen then began comparing the population of American POWs or MIAs with how many Americans fall under the LGBTQ community, suggesting that the pride flag represents more people.

"My research shows that there have been 82,000 Americans who are registered as POWs or MIAs, which is atrocious and horrible, and it should never happen to any American, but there [are] 20 million minimum LGBTQ members," she stated.

She then accused council members of being hypocritical and fulfilling special interests by choosing to fly a POW/MIA flag over city hall and not a pride flag.

"I think that your approach to trying to trick people out of having to fly the pride flag in June by making sure that the POW/MIA flag was flown is really disgusting. Again, it is not impartial in any way, and I think that you should be ashamed. I definitely am," Jen said before walking off.

Her comments set a fire under the mayor, who said he doesn't typically respond to public comment, but he "will not sit here and have somebody tell me that veterans are a political stunt."

City of Newcastle Mayor Robert Clark said he was "p---ed" after a woman stated her "concern" about the POW/MIA flag flying over city hall after not wanting a pride flag to fly. (City of Newcastle/YouTube)

Some in the audience could be heard clapping as Clark fired back at the woman, adding, "How dare you?"

"This country was founded because veterans lost their lives. Hundreds of thousands of people died for this country so that you could fly your pride flag," Clark said while looking in her direction.

He apologized for being "pissed" and "out of line," but warned her "do not ever disparage veterans in my presence."

"Those 82,000 people who never came home will never have a chance to have a family or grow up while you can fly your pride flag," he said. "They sacrificed their lives all over the world for America and for freedom around the world."

The mayor appeared to be aware of Jen's opinions, stating that he "tolerates" her comments despite them always being "on the attack" and "libelous."

"I tolerate it because, you know, you probably can't help yourself, but don't ever disparage veterans in front of me," he said as someone in the audience could be heard trying to talk back.

"Don't ever disparage veterans in front of me," Clark repeated.

"And we're done," he said before opening up the floor to the next speaker.

The response from city leaders

Newcastle City Council member Ariana Sherlock was "shocked" at Clark's outburst. She sent FOX 13 Seattle the following statement:

"I was in shock that Mayor Clark responded so emotionally to a public comment. As the Mayor said, he was out of order. As Councilmembers, we are not supposed to respond to public comments while the public comment period is open. Public comments are part of protected free speech in this country. We always have a variety of public speakers of all ideologies, and it’s important that everyone feels welcomed to have their say in front of the council, whether we agree or disagree with their points.

"For context, what [Jen] was referencing was that Mayor Clark asked the Council at the previous meeting (March 4, 2025) to consider flying the POW/MIA flag for ten consecutive days, instead of one, on each of the already mandated 10 days a year that cities must fly the POW/MIA flag. The Council unanimously agreed to his proposal. However, given the Mayor’s stance regarding flags last June during Pride month, it has caused some constituents to question the purity of his motives in this proposal, and that was the point of [Jen's] comments, as I interpreted them."

The Source: This story comes from FOX News, with additional information from the City of Newcastle.