LOCAL NEWS -- CHARLOTTE, NC

Campus Pride & Time Out Youth Condemn Remarks by Mecklenburg County Commissioner Bill James as “intolerant and harmful to area LGBTQ youth”

Both organizations call for an immediate reprimand of Commissioner James

Charlotte, NC, Thursday, December 17, 2009 – Campus Pride and Time Out Youth today condemned remarks made by Mecklenburg County Commissioner Bill James at the Tuesday night county commissioner meeting where domestic partner benefits for same sex couples were considered and then passed by the majority of commissioners. Both Campus Pride and Time Out Youth call for an immediate reprimand of Commissioner James to send a clear message that incivility and disrespect will not be allowed in public county commission meetings.

During the meeting, Commissioner James interrupted Commissioner Vilma Leake and leaned over to her saying, “Your son was a homo, really?” The comment was made after Leake shared an impassioned speech about her son being gay and passing away of HIV/AIDS. Commissioner James has repeatedly used slurs like “trannies and homo” and likened bisexuals to a “Three’s Company of the sordid and icky kind” to demean LGBT people.