City Commissioner Bill James call dead son of fellow Commissioner a HOMO

[n0nesuch]

Last night, the Mecklenburg County Commission approved domestic partner benefits to spouses of gay employees by a 6 - 3 vote.

Commissioner Bill James was among the three who voted against the measure, but today he's spending a lot of time discussing an exchange with Commissioner Vilma Leake while commissioners were debating the issue.

Leake, who voted in favor of the policy, had just finished talking about her son who died of AIDS when a smiling James leaned over to her and said, "Your son was a homo, really?"

Leak quickly shot back: "You're going to make me hurt you. Don't do that to me! Don't talk about my son!"

James makes no apologies. He spoke to Keith Larson this morning on WBT-AM.

At first, James told Larson that he was in the process of saying "homosexual," but was cut off by Leak. He changed his story after Larson played a clip of the exchange that made clear that wasn't the case.

"Look, I don't care if I said 'homo.' I don't think it changes the reality of it. Whether I said, 'is he a homo really or is he homosexual, really?' - I'm OK with either one of those…

"When she used the reason for her vote, the fact that her son had engaged in lifestyle and had died of HIV/AIDS as the reason for her vote, I was curious about what lifestyle she was talking about because usually you don't use the term 'lifestyle' to refer to a blood transfusion."

As for the domestic partner policy, Mecklenburg County is now the 7th city or county in North Carolina to offer benefits to partners of county employees who are gay. The policy will take effect in 2011.

http://www.wfae.org/wfae/1_87_316.cfm?action=display&id=5710

Email Mr. James just how you feel: [e-mail]

[Jamastiene]

1. He is the same one who once said black people live "in a moral sewer."

Every time he opens his mouth, he spews the most uncouth, disgusting, vile, bigoted comments.

Here is a link to an email he sent out on his county email: (warning, it's disgusting)
http://www.pamspaulding.com/weblog/2005/04/i-wasnt-kidding-when-i-said-nc.html


While the word, "lifestyle" makes me cringe every time I hear it in reference to GLBT people, I fully support Commissioner Vilma Leake's vote for domestic partner benefits and for standing up to Bill James and rude, disgusting comments about her son. If I lived in Charlotte (instead of just nearby), she would have just won my vote and my energy to get her re-elected hands down.