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NC Legislator Sends Out Homophobic Email To Colleagues

10/05/10-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire
State Representative Larry Brown of North Carolina called gays “queers” and “fruitloops” in an email he sent last week to his fellow North Carolina House Republicans. He was responding to an email sent out by House Minority Leader Paul Stam to members of the Democratic Caucus about House Speaker Joe Hackney getting an award from Equality NC Foundation, an LGBT rights group. The email went out to some sixty addresses.

The email, dated 27 September, said “I hope all the queers are thrilled to see him. I am sure there will be a couple of legislative fruitloops there in the audience.” Ian Palmquist of Equality North Carolina has called upon Brown to apologize for his homophobic slurs. Palmquist stated “I think it’s disgusting to see a member of the legislature talking about his own constituents and fellow North Carolinians that way. I would hope that he would apologize and his colleagues would speak out about that kind of bigotry.”

The comments come at a time when LGBT youth suicides are peaking. It has been noted that Brown’s comments have repulsed Hackney, who was honored for his legislative work advancing equal rights to the LGBT Community. Paul Stam, a colleague of Browns defended the statements by saying “It was not sent to a public group.”

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