Staunton Council candidate Wilson Fauber stands by 2015 homophobic Facebook post

STAUNTON — When Staunton City Council was filling a vacancy in January for the remainder of the year, Jordan Zipser was one of 20 people who applied for the interim seat. Although they weren't selected to interview, Zipser did attend the interviews in February and remembers listening to Wilson Fauber speak about his qualifications for the seat.

Nothing about what Fauber said that night was cause for alarm, Zipser said. There were no homophobic views expressed, certainly something Zipser, who is transgender nonbinary, would have picked up on.

So when Zipser saw social media posts from Fauber being shared over the past week, it caught them off guard. Fauber is now a candidate for city council's special election this November that will fill the seat until the 2024 elections.

"Based on what I heard in those interviews, I will admit when I saw the post I was rather surprised," Zipser said. "He did not convey any of that in the interview process."

In a post on his personal Facebook page from Feb. 13, 2015, Fauber wrote, "The Bible is CLEAR that homosexuality — an attraction to the same sex, having sexual relations with the same sex — IS AN ABOMINATION TO GOD. IT IS SIN, AND SIN SEPARATES US FROM GOD."

As of Tuesday morning, the post was still on his personal page. On Monday, The News Leader asked Fauber if he stood by those comments from eight years ago, made before he was a candidate for public office.

"Yes," Fauber said. "Because what I commented about is the word of God. Scripture."

Hearing that, Zipser was disappointed. They were hoping maybe Fauber would back away from what he said in 2015.

"One of my major concerns is it doesn't seem like he has considered the potential impact to our community in saying these words," Zipser said. "Especially for someone who is running for public office. The fact that he does stand by them is incredibly upsetting."

Both Fauber and Kevin Linhares, who is working on Fauber's campaign and sat in on the interview with The News Leader at Fauber's real estate office, said that what Fauber posted isn't hate speech.

"God loves all people," Fauber said. "But the word says he hates sin. Sin separates us from God. That's what it says. Now, if that's hate speech, you have to take it up with him."

Linhares said there are no gray areas in the Bible and what Fauber said wasn't about hate or discriminating against people.

"This is me speaking as a Christian," Linhares said. "Anything outside of a man and a woman being married, is sexual immorality."

Allison Profeta, who runs the Facebook page Local and Vocal in Staunton, VA, posted screenshots of Fauber's post on Sept. 21. That post is what alerted many in the area, including The News Leader, to Fauber's comments. When asked Monday evening if she felt Fauber's statements from 2015 were hate speech, she said they were.

Profeta is also concerned with a candidate for public office so openly talking about their religion and quoting the Bible.

"I don't care what they believe in," Profeta said. "But when it becomes apparent that they can't separate it from the rest of us ... if he's saying that he thinks these people are an abomination, he's free to go and think that in his own home, but then he should have the self-awareness to know that he cannot run for office. You can't pick and choose who you're going to govern over."

Fauber said his beliefs will not prevent him from fairly representing everyone in Staunton if elected.

"I've never had a problem discriminating against anyone," he said. "Never. In my real estate business, this is my 43rd year in real estate, you can check my record. I've never had any complaints filed against me. I have worked with clients, both buyers and sellers, who are from the LGBTQ community, no problems. First of all, it's against the law, but that's not my reasoning for not discriminating. It's not who I am. I love all people."

On the same Facebook post, Fauber wrote that God's power "is greater than Satan, and his demons. Jesus Christ can set ANY PERSON FREE FROM homosexuality, lesbianism, fornication, and EVERY sin that enslaves mankind."

Erika Zipser, who is married to Jordan Zipser, said she has major reservations about someone holding public office who "thinks my spouse and I are possessed by demons."

Erika Zipser wonders how Fauber will be able to set that belief aside and treat those in the LGBTQ community equitably if he’s elected. She said apathetic voters not concerned about comments like Fauber's leads to anti-LGBTQ legislation being passed.

"This is not a niche issue, it’s not a sideshow, and it’s not funny," she said. "It matters and if people ignore it because they don’t think it affects them, they’re going to be surprised by the number of people around them it does end up hurting."

The post in 2015 isn't the only one Fauber has shared on his Facebook page that is anti-LGBTQ. In February, 2020 he asked people to sign a petition asking the children's television program "Sesame Street" to "remove filthy drag queen" programing, adding, "Help protect our children and grandchildren."

That was in response to an appearance by actor Billy Porter, who is gay, wearing a tuxedo dress on the show.

Fauber criticized those sharing his old posts from Facebook, saying none of them have taken the time to get to know him.

"That is religious persecution right there, that is on trial, so to speak, here," Fauber said. "But the root of it is a smear campaign."

Earlier in the interview, Linhares also called this a smear campaign.

"That's exactly what it is," Linhares said. "I mean, you see the same people trying to bring down a good man that really, truly loves them and it's not fair."

Jordan Zipser didn't see that love in Fauber's posts. They said electing Fauber to city council feels like Staunton is approving of anti-LGBTQ statements the candidate made. That, to Zipser, makes the city feel less safe.

"Clearly these are ideas that Mr. Fauber feels are important to him," Jordan Zipser said. "I think that having someone who is so openly homophobic and transphobic on city council is, at the bare minimum, incredibly demoralizing to our LGBTQ community."

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— Patrick Hite is a reporter at The News Leader. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Contact Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and follow him on Twitter @Patrick_Hite. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Staunton Council candidate Wilson Fauber stands by homophobic Facebook post