Pembroke Pines Commissioner Castillo: If You Don't Like Transgender Joke, "Go Fu*k Yourselves"

Pembroke Pines City Commissioner Angelo Castillo is not just a local politician who quibbles about zoning issues — he's also a biting satirist, right up there with Voltaire, Jonathan Swift, and Jon Stewart. That's why he would like you to know that he will not alter his gender and plans on remaining a cisgendered male, despite what he calls the “conventional wisdom, trends, and styles.”

“Staying a guy is not an easy choice to make but in reaching this difficult decision I hope all of you will understand that I really think this is the best choice I can make for me,” Castillo, whose day job is director of strategic planning and research at the Broward Sheriff's Office, wrote on Facebook last week.

And just in case it wasn't quite clear yet, he ended his announcement with: “(satire added, no extra charge.)”



Since posting the humor-challenged satire, the response appears to be overwhelmingly positive, with many of Castillo's Facebook followers laughing along at the kinda-sorta joke. But not everyone was so happy about Castillo's comedy, which prompted the commissioner-cum-comedian to give lessons in the philosophy of humor.

Nadine Smith was one of the people unhappy with Castillo's post.

“I've got a great sense of humor but the best comics will tell you, 'always punch up at the privileged,'” she wrote. “Punching someone being held down, that's not humor — that's just meanness. Be better than this post.”

But Castillo explained to Smith that she was just being uptight and didn't understand things.

“You need to loosen up. Too serious,” Castillo replied. “It's called sarcasm, and often it's the only way to drive home a point to those who just can't understand otherwise.”


Others told Castillo that his brand of humor wasn't very humorous because making fun of disenfranchised groups doesn't usually make for great comedy.

“Was the post funny? Obviously it was to some, but not to me,” wrote Jack Shifrel. “I love sarcasm. I use it all the time & recognize it very clearly. What I don't like is laughter & sarcasm at the expense of others.”

In another comment from Shifrel criticizing the commissioner's comedic abilities, Castillo replied in-depth with a sassy, “if it offends you, defriend me” and an added, “Anybody that doesn't like me doing that they can go fuck themselves. Is that clear enough?”



"Satire can be biting. It's intended to do just that," Castillo later said in the thread.

As Castillo gave lessons in comedic technique, he wrote another post giving fair warning to followers that his page is not the for weak-hearted.

"Viewer discretion is advised," he actually wrote.


So consider yourself warned. If you go over to Pembroke Pines Commissioner Angelo Castillo's Facebook page, brace yourself for the hard-hitting humor that gives a gut-punch to a society too weak to handle Castillo's burning satire.

We reached out to Castillo for comment and will update if we hear back.