A gay man was the only applicant for a town council seat. He lost anyway — because of his sexuality

After being the only applicant for a vacant seat on his village's council, an Ohio man was still denied the position — and the council president's reasoning was pretty blatant.

David Nation, 41, moved to Waynesville over 16 years ago to be with his now-husband, and immediately fell in love with the quaint aesthetics of the town, which is home to just approximately 2,600 people. After more than a decade and a half in community service, Nation decided to apply to a seat on the Waynesville Village Council when it announced a vacancy on June 17, he toldThe Buckeye Flame.

Nation applied weeks before the July 10 deadline the council set for applications, and remained the only applicant as the deadline passed, the outlet reports. Still, he was not sworn in at a July 15 council meeting, where president pro tempore Chris Colvin announced they would instead be interviewing four candidates: Nation, and three others who had not applied but were sought out after the deadline had passed.

Nation told The Buckeye Flame that his interview went well, and that Mayor Earl Isaacs even told him that he was the most qualified for the position. Despite that, the council adjourned without filling the seat. Weeks went by without word, until Nation saw on July 29 that the council was holding a special meeting on July 31 to appoint someone.

Nation spent the two days gathering signatures of support from other residents, garnering 100 and submitting them to the council. He did not attend the meeting, where members instead appointed Lyle Anthony, one of the three other candidates who had lived in the town ten years fewer than Nation.

Colvin then asked to submit to the record remarks on why he did not support Nation, saying that he was "very concerned about DEI policies being advocated in our municipality," according to the outlet.

"My lack of support for David Nation in this appointment is due to his application including his resume with core achievements focused on 'diversity and inclusion' and his efforts being a founding member of the [LGBTQ+] Rainbow Alliance ERG which advocates for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in 'local government, business, and educational institutions.'"

Nation soon after heard of the appointment and Colvin's comments from friends, and several residents who told him they would speak in support of him at the next meeting on August 5, the outlet reports. Community members unanimously slammed the council's "shady deal" and focus on Nation's sexual orientation at the meeting, though Colvin was not present as he was instead on vacation.

While he pursues other possible recourse to ensure something like this doesn't happen again, Nation said that he intends to make a statement by running for the council in the 2025 election. He said he will "continue giving back to the community," telling The Buckeye Flame: “I’m not letting them scare me off. It’s just not going to happen."

“My whole life I have fought for gay rights, and I can’t believe this is still where we are," Nation said, adding, "I will have the biggest campaign they have ever seen in this tiny town. Just you wait and see.”