BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, WA — Yes, it’s quite a coincidence. But no, Bainbridge Island City Councilman Ron Peltier’s idea to celebrate “I Didn’t Reproduce Day” on the third Sunday in June was not a jab at Father’s Day.
Peltier, a first-term Councilman, caused quite a stir this with news of his “I Didn’t Reproduce Day” proclamation. He got the idea from a neighbor, a single woman who works as a farmer and doesn’t have kids, who shared a Bill Maher monologue. In it, Maher talks about a holiday for people who don’t have kids, a “none-in-the-oven” day.
The idea struck Peltier as “clever,” but there was something deeper. People who don’t have kids or choose not to are actually making a big contribution to the environment, he said.
“Rising population are having an effect on the biosphere and our ecosystem,” he said. “I think it’s pretty well-established that rising populations will make life more difficult.”
So Peltier, who was elected in 2015, drafted a proclamation. In city government, proclamations are common and used for all sorts of things, like honoring Girl Scout troops or, like in this instance, setting aside a day for recognition. Peltier brought his proclamation up at the end of the June 4 meeting, and it didn’t go well.
“I think it’s incredibly insensitive,” Councilwoman Sarah Blossom said during the meeting. Holding back tears, she explained that she’s the only member of the Council without kids. Some people can’t have them, some people choose not to, she said.
“I agree with the lack of sensitivity. I don’t understand why you did this, I’m not in favor of this at all,” said Councilman Joe Deets, who was sitting right next to Peltier during the meeting.
Mayor Kol Medina sought to strike a balance. He told Peltier he wouldn’t bring the proclamation up for a vote, but said he understood the environmental intent.
“I don’t know if this is the right way of going about it,” Medina said.
In a strange twist, Father’s Day got its start in Washington, although with a less controversial beginning than “I Didn’t Reproduce Day.”
Click Here: cheap dragons jersey
A Spokane-area woman named Sonora Louise Smart Dodd began the effort in the early 1900s. Dodd’s mother died during childbirth, and her father, a Civil War veteran and farmer, raised her as a single dad. The first Father’s Day celebration was held in Spokane in 1909, although it was mainly a religious affair. The Father’s Day we know today wasn’t recognized in the U.S. until 1972.
It’s important to note, Peltier did choose to reproduce. He has a 30-year-old son, who so far has not had any children. In his family, Peltier said that Father’s Day is “not a big deal,” although his own father did like getting cards.
Fatherhood, he said, is fluid thing. Even without kids, a man can be a father figure as an uncle or mentor. For that reason, people who don’t reproduce should get some kind of recognition. The bonus, as Peltier sees it, is a little less stress on an already stressed Earth.
“It got an emotional response, and I want to respect that,” Peltier said of his proclamation. “But I think I did what I wanted to do, which was to start a conversation.”