How do Republican legislators in North Carolina talk among themselves?State Rep. Larry Brown sent his fellow House Republicans an e-mail last week where he referred to gays as "queers" and "fruitloops."Rep. Brown owes his constituents an apology for his bigoted comments.
Brown was responding to an e-mail House Minority Leader Paul Stam of Apex sent to members of his caucus about House Speaker Joe Hackney getting an award from the Equality NC Foundation, a gay-rights group.
Brown sent his reply to nearly 60 e-mail addresses.
"I hope all the queers are thrilled to see him," said the message dated Sept. 27. "I am sure there will be a couple legislative fruitloops there in the audience."
House Minority Leader Paul Stam, however, doesn't see it that way. Under the Dome quotes him as saying, "It was not sent to a public group ... There's a lot of language that is used by public officials in public and private that should not be used."
Rather than enabling his bigoted colleague, Rep. Stam should be condemning Rep. Brown's remarks. An e-mail list of "nearly 60" people is hardly private. And the remarks are no less deplorable for being expressed to a few people.
