Not surprisingly, he began the discussion by saying he would support a constitutional amendment limiting marriage to a union between one man and one woman, clearly preventing any efforts to allow same-sex marriage.
Brown drew criticism in October for an e-mail he sent to other state Republican legislators in which he used disparaging language about gays. After the announcement of a legislative leadership award given to then-House Speaker Joe Hackney, Brown sent his e-mail to House Minority Leader Paul Stam saying: "I hope all the queers are thrilled to see him. I am sure there will be a couple legislative fruitloops there in the audience."
Without explaining his connection between gay marriage rights and HIV government spending, he continued, "I'm not opposed to helping a child born with HIV or something, but I don't condone spending taxpayers' money to help people living in perverted lifestyles," said Brown, elected in November to his fourth term.
When pressed by reporters, Brown wouldn't comment about what he considers "perverted." While it might be fortuitous that readers were spared his bit of ignorance, he did say that "adults who get HIV through sexual behavior or drugs would be among those who should not be treated at government expense."
Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, called Brown's comments "ill-informed," "hateful," and "extremely dangerous." He added, "hysterical, judgmental and inaccurate statements like Brown’s create an environment that prevents many from getting tested and seeking treatment, thereby furthering the spread of HIV and AIDS. Larry Brown’s conduct reflects poorly on his constituents and other elected officials. The people of North Carolina deserve better."
The small silver lining in all of this falls to other North Carolina Republicans, who avoid his comments completely. Their unwillingness to even address Brown’s statement is an admission of transgression.
House Rep. Dale Folwell declined to discuss Brown's remarks about HIV. "I don't have any comment on that," said Folwell, who is slated to be the new speaker pro tem when the House convenes Jan. 26. "I just work on the things that I work on, and that takes all I have."
Rep. Bill McGee, a Republican who represents the 75th District in Forsyth County, said, "People who are sick need care. While I may not agree with the lifestyles which contribute to the sickness taking place, if a person is sick and has no recourse or any way to get help other than being on some program, then perhaps we will have to do that," McGee said.
While it seems unlikely Brown will be able to pass any legislation based on "lifestyle" choice, his comments are worth reporting because of their potential. Too many false assumptions were made connecting all of the dots.
Of course, we cannot dictate health care based on lifestyle, but deeper than the health care issue, Brown (and perhaps Rep. McGee) deserves to be pressed about the idea of choice. Homosexuality isn’t a "lifestyle choice" and ignoring that comment further propels rhetoric into the minds of young people grappling with issues of identity, especially in North Carolina, a state that has historically been very conservative.
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