No Censure for N.C. Commissioner

The Mecklenburg County Commission in North Carolina met Tuesday night and instead of censuring Commissioner Bill James, who had called gay people "sexual predators," the commission issued a bias resolution.

According to The Charlotte Observer, commissioners maintained that censure applied only to behavior and not personal speech. James, who evidences a history of antigay comments, made the latest remark in response to a colleagues' request to support state officials who supported "don't ask, don't tell" repeal.

The board did unanimously adopt a resolution in support of diversity, tolerance, and inclusion in the community while opposing inflammatory and hurtful speech, according to the Observer. James said he voted for the resolution because he saw it as meaningless.

"He said he believed the measure was a way to put a 'nice, glossy, fancy facade' on the issue as the community bids to bring the Democratic National Convention to town, and said if other commissioners were serious about standing up for sexual rights, they'd try to get state laws changed," the Observer reported.