DELAWARE COUNTY, Ind. (WTVO) — A Republican councilman in Indiana has sparked outrage from the political Left after saying he identifies as a lesbian woman of color.

Delaware County Councilman Ryan Webb, 46, who is a married father of five, announced his gender transition on Facebook.

“After much consideration, I have decided to come out and finally feel comfortable announcing my true authentic self. It is with great relief that I announce to everyone that I identify as a woman and not just any woman but as a woman of color as well. I guess this would make me gay/lesbian as well, since I am attracted to women,” he wrote on April 12th.

“To avoid confusion, everyone can continue to address me as Ryan or as Councilman Webb,” he continued. “I will also retain my preferred pronouns of He/Him, however, this will in no way diminish my true identity as a woman of color.”

Webb later edited the post to say, “It has come to my attention that I am more than likely the very first lesbian woman of color in the history of Delaware County to ever serve on the Delaware County council. I am honored to be the one to shatter that glass ceiling.”

He also posted a comment purporting to contain a family heritage, including a Cherokee great-grandmother.

According to FOX News, Webb said he is holding up a “mirror to the political Left” to expose contradictions in gender ideology.

Many states, including Illinois, offer opportunities to minorities, women, and people with disabilities, and employers are encouraged to include diversity initiatives in their workplace.

Webb’s announcement provoked outrage from the LGBTQ community, which accused him of mocking the plight of transgender Americans.

“If he were serious, I’d sing his praises,” said Charlize Jamieson, a transgender female who addressed the council last Tuesday. “But instead, I know better. We all do. I know better because of his history of making hateful anti-trans statements on social media and disrespecting one’s pronouns. He has, purposely, and intentionally, misgendered me, ridiculing my own gender identity. That is not something transgender people do to one another.”

Jamieson provided a printed copy of an online exchange with Webb, in which he replied, saying “Charlize Jamieson, do you think you have the password to the forbidden world of coming out? When you decided to become a woman did people tell you that it was unbecoming? Sorry pal but you don’t get to be the decider of who is acceptable and who isn’t. I was hoping that you and I could be friends now that we are both ladies who used to be men. I’ll give you some more time.”

Student activists demanded his resignation at the meeting.

Webb was allowed to speak in his defense, saying, “To clarify, I never claimed to be trans anything. I simply expressed my own gender identity … I’m being dead serious. This isn’t a joke. I said what I said. I don’t know what to tell you. You don’t get to question me. You do not get to require proof from me. You were part of the movement that helped establish these rules and set the bar, OK? You don’t get to come later when someone else joins the club that you don’t want in … You don’t get to question how I identify.”

Webb told The Star Press that those who criticized them had a right to voice their concerns, but wished they realized they are “perpetuating hate, intolerance, and bigotry towards me.”

“It’s just another example of the intolerant Left and their ideology of contradictions,” he said.

Transgenderism has become a political flashpoint in the U.S. Conservative lawmakers have recently sought to pass laws aimed at protecting traditional gender roles, including keeping biological males off girls’ sports teams and out of girls’ bathrooms and blocking children from receiving “gender-affirming” medical care.

In response, a growing number of Democratic-controlled states, including Illinois, have moved to protect such rights, especially access to gender-affirming care.

The push by conservatives has mushroomed over the last few years and become, alongside abortion, a major theme running through legislative sessions across the country in 2023.

Six states have laws or policies in effect barring minors from receiving puberty blockers or hormone therapy. Similar provisions have been adopted but paused by courts in three more. They’ve been signed into law but haven’t yet taken effect in at least eight more.

In tandem with the push to restrict transgender rights, conservatives in several states have also targeted drag shows over concerns that the displays introduce children to sexual themes at a young age.

There has also been an effort by parent groups to remove certain LGBTQ-themed books from school libraries on obscenity grounds, as they frequently employ graphic depictions of sexual experiences.

Advocates for the books argue that exposure to the material at a young age can help a child who is questioning their sexual orientation to find a peer group.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.