Indiana councilman who 'came out' as Native American lesbian pushes back on calls to resign

Indiana councilman Ryan Webb still uses 'he/him' pronouns and his given name amid reported death threats

An Indiana councilman who was born a Caucasian male and recently "came out" as a lesbian woman of color pushed back on calls for him to resign after he also reportedly received death threats.

Delaware County Councilman Ryan Webb announced he is now identifying as a Native American, given he purports to have select Cherokee ancestors on both sides of his family. He also declared he is identifying as a woman – and a lesbian because he remains married to his female wife. 

In a social media post, Webb said he is "honored to shatter this glass ceiling," and will be a "vocal partner for the LGBTQIAPC+++ community."

Some conservative commentators are interpreting Webb's announcement as a joke. Webb has said that he is holding up a "mirror to the political left" to expose the contradictions in gender, and he remains married to his wife, Brandy Webb, who is running for Muncie City Council. He also said he will retain his "he/him" pronouns and given name.

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Webb told Fox News Monday he is "very proud" to highlight his Native American ancestors, to which host Jesse Watters asked if he had more Cherokee blood than another public official who purported to be Native American, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.

"I don't profess to know the history of Ms. Warren," Webb said on "Jesse Watters Primetime." "But I think it's pretty it's pretty consistent. I have Cherokee on both sides of my family, so I think it's enough to self-identify as a woman of color."

Warren identified as Native American on a Texas bar application, according to a Washington Post report – and she was accused of participating in a "diversity sham" by then-Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., her election opponent, when it was reported she listed herself as Native American in a law professor directory. 

An LGBTQ+ flag flies over Union United Methodist Church in the South End of Boston on Jan. 5, 2020. (Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Warren took a DNA test in 2018, which found she potentially had trace Native American ancestry six or more generations back. The senator later apologized to the Cherokee Nation for the incident, a contrition that was accepted by a Cherokee official.

Watters when someone comes out as an identity different from the one medically determined at birth, they are celebrated, and that when others question those individuals, they are labeled "transphobic" or "racist."

"The left can't even define what a woman is anyway," Watters added, referring to how Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson could not define a woman during confirmation questioning from Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn. – and more recently Education Secretary Miguel Cardona refusing to define "woman" when pressed by Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga. in April.

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Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., speaks during a protest outside of the U.S. Supreme Court. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Watters also asked about the controversy Webb caused by coming out as a Native American lesbian, as individuals spoke out against him at a recent county session.

"Some people have really been upset. You know, they've been big mad about it. And, you know, we had a group of individuals show up at our local Delaware County Council meeting to express their fake outrage," Webb said.

Webb said while many are calling for him to resign, his story resonated across the country, and he has heard from many other Americans who support him.

"I've been getting a lot of good positive feedback requesting that I seek higher office than as the Delaware County Council," he said.