South Carolina Town Votes To Reinstate Fired Lesbian Police Chief While Seeking to Oust Homophobic Mayor

The residents of Latta, S.C. voted to reinstate lesbian Police Chief Crystal Moore after the mayor fired her months ago.

The referendum that reinstated Moore also stripped Mayor Earl Bullard of some of his power making the city council-strong rather than mayor-strong, according to Huffington Post. The town council now has the power to rehire Moore and the council said the first order of business is just that.

“Words cannot describe how I feel,” Moore told Morning News Online. “I am so excited. The town came out and spoke up for what was right, not just for me, but for the whole town."

The council announced the votes for the referendum Tuesday. The votes won’t be official until the ballots are certified at 11 a.m. Friday but residents of the town consider the voting Tuesday as a win for justice.

“Thank you to everyone who came and voted,” Moore told the newspaper. “It took us all. Now, I’m ready to go back to work.”

According to Huffington Post, Mayor Bullard was elected in December and issued Moore seven citations since being in office. These were the first citations the police chief received in the 20 years of service to the Latta community.

Residents were angered at the dismissal of Moore and believe she was the target of the mayor’s homophobia. Council members claim that Mayor Earl Bullard broke protocol by not giving a verbal or written warning and not consulting the city council before firing Moore.

Here's an older news story in which Moore mentions she believes she was fired because she's gay.