In an email to fellow Mecklenburg
County Commissioners, Commissioner Bill James accused gay troops of
“preying” on straight soldiers, North
Carolina-based gay weekly Qnotes reported.
James was responding to County
Commission Chair Jennifer Roberts' request to send a letter thanking
members of North Carolina's Congressional delegation for supporting
repeal of “Don't Ask, Don't Tell,” the 1993 law that bans gay and
bisexual troops from serving openly.
“Homosexuals are sexual predators,”
James, a Republican, wrote. “Allowing homosexuals to serve in the
US military with the endorsement of the Mecklenburg County Commission
ignores a host of serious problems related to maintaining U.S.
military readiness and effectiveness not the least of which is the
current Democrat plan to allow homosexuals (male and female) to share
showers with those they are attracted to.”
“I think there are a lot of things
that people of all political stripes tolerate from their politicians.
But endorsing immorality and allowing military recruits to be preyed
on by homosexuals is not one that I will tolerate,” he added.
North
Carolina Senator Richard Burr was among the eight Republicans whose
votes helped end the ban. Senator Kay Hagan, a Democrat, also
voted for repeal.
“I suspect Richard Burr will pay a
high electoral price for his actions but whether it boots him from
office next time is unknown,” James wrote. “I know I won't be
supporting him even if he does have an R after his name.”
Richard Thomas, chair of the
Mecklenburg Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual and Transgender Political Action
Committee, called James' rhetoric “unacceptable.”
“These personal attacks against
fellow American citizens are unacceptable, and Commissioner James
should be held accountable for his remarks as a leader,” Thomas
said in a statement.
A
Change.org petition which calls on the board to censure James for his
anti-gay remarks has attracted more than 350 signatures since
Tuesday.