In response to yesterday’s post about his latest anti-gay slurs, County Commissioner Bill James responded, in CL’s comments section, that “I just say what everyone else thinks and believes.” Which is true, if what you mean by “everyone else” is “other bigots,” or maybe “those on the losing side of social progress.” In James’ latest slam against gays, triggered by a proposed letter of support for the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, he claimed that  homosexuals are all “sexual predators.” The story was featured on Huffington Post yesterday, and, amazingly, was the lead story on MSNBC yesterday afternoon. James sent us an e-mail touting his TV appearance, which he claims “should be good press for Charlotte.”

Yeah, really good press — like the “good press” Charlotte received in 1996. That’s when James and other County Commission homophobes pitched a fit over a theater production of Angels In America, exposing the city to national ridicule and justified charges of gooberish provincialism. Yep, that’s really good press, all right. It just screams to the nation, “Hey, we’re still wearing overalls down here, and we’re dumber than stumps — come on down and enjoy the good life!”

The County Commission should censure James for making such blatantly ignorant, hateful statements against a specific group of citizens. It probably won’t happen, considering the Commission’s shortage of real leadership, but it certainly should. In the meantime, while we’re waiting for someone in power to do something decent for a change, let me point you to a piece from BlueNC poster fritzpardue, in which he nails the absurdity of the right’s newest idea of separate showers for gays and straights in the military. Here’s an excerpt:

I just can't quite get my arms wrapped around this policy. It is okay for a homosexual man to take a shower with a heterosexual man, and just fine for a lesbian woman to be around when a heterosexual woman washes herself off, just as long as those homosexuals haven't told someone openly that they are gay.

But, on the other hand, if everyone knows that that homosexual man is the way he is, and that woman being a lesbian is common knowledge, then the military of the US is in danger of crumbling into a pile of ineffective rubbish that can no longer protect our country. . .

Personally, I like the view of Gen. David Petraeus’ senior aide Marvin Hill, who told the press that if there are troops who can’t deal with the repeal of DADT, they should leave the service. Amen. If you can’t serve in the military without discriminating against other troops, then get the hell out. Once and for all, enough of this homophobic crap.

• We'll discuss this further in the shower, sir