December 17, 2009

N. Carolina County Commissioner Makes Stigmatizing Remarks During Meeting

During a meeting of county commissioners in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Bill James made homophobic remarks about a man who died of AIDS-related disease, WBTV reports.

The commissioners were voting December 15 to extend domestic partnership benefits to same-sex couples. During the discussion, County Commissioner Vilma Leake made an impassioned speech about her gay son, who died of AIDS-related illness.

“A son that I birthed and died of AIDS, and I did not know that…in 2010, I would be sitting here…to defend his lifestyle,” said Leake, a Democrat.

Following her speech, James, a Republican, asked, “Your son was a homo, really?”

That led to a heated public exchange between the commissioners. Nonetheless, the benefits policy passed.

James has not apologized for his comments. He did release a statement about the incident, saying that Leake was a “religious hypocrite” who “used her son’s ‘lifestyle’ and his death from HIV/AIDS to justify voting for benefits to allow individuals to use tax dollars to engage in the same behavior that resulted in her son’s death.”

Under the new policy, Mecklenburg County employees in a same-sex relationship where both partners live together and share financial responsibilities will be eligible to receive county benefits for their partner as long as one of them remains a county employee.

Jennifer Roberts, chairperson of the commission, said the censure or reprimand of James would be discussed.

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Previous Comments:

alphabata, Canada, 2009-12-23 09:57:25
by allowing same sex marriage, does not have anything to do with hiv/aids, Mr.James makes a stupid remark, hiv/aids is everywhere. This could easily happen to anyone! My sympathy does go out to Vilma Leake, no mother should have to go through grief and hardship, especially, because the stigma which hiv/aids has. People it 2010, remove your heads from your asses. It's individuals like himself, who keep the hiv/aids stigma alive.

Marshall J. Dixon, Hattiesburg, MS, 2009-12-22 18:10:40
Censure??????, Reprimand?????.... does this really have to be discussed? I feel so sorry for his children because they are usually the ones who are gay or living with HIV and have to listen to and live with comments and statements from their parents like that --

DaphneeLee, Triangle, NC, 2009-12-22 12:42:42
I run into people like this guy Bill James every day if I go out into town. In fact, living in NC 5 yrs. now, I truly believe that "church" teachings indoctrinated early KEEP them intellectually distant from REAL SCIENCE AND FACTS until they grow more and start having their own life experiences. A guy like Bill James though might never change, unless it was someone he truly loved and could see through THEIR EYES and FEEL THEIR PAIN. We can only hope...

Doug, Long Beach, CA, 2009-12-22 12:20:26
Just another mindless idiot... these freaks think that they have God in their back pocket... boy are they in for a RUDE awakening! You reap what you sow dumb ass!