Loudoun Supervisor Under Fire for Anti-Gay Remarks
Loudoun County official makes controversial anti gay remarks in an email to his constituents
NBCWashington
Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio, R-Sterling, holding a copy of his controversial e-mail.
Eugene Delgaudio, who represents the Sterling District in Loudoun County, is at the center of a political firestorm. He’s accused of using controversial language targeted at transgender individuals.
It all started back on January 5th when the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted to ban discrimination in hiring someone based on their sexual orientation. Delgaudio – who voted against it – then sent out an email to his constituents explaining the boards decision by saying "if a man dressed as woman wants a job, you have to treat ‘it’ the same as a normal person."
But it wasn’t just the "it" word that has people riled up. In that same original email Delgaudio used the phrase "cross dressing freaks."
Supervisor Stevens Miller, who spearheaded the vote, took great offense.
But Delgaudio says the reference to "it" is a big misunderstanding and the purpose behind the original statement was to get some kind of debate started, Delgaudio told News4.
"I talked about the action of hiring a man dressed as a woman, what would happen with it," said Delgaudio. "And I was referring to the hiring of a man wearing a dress and the boards action."
So Delgaudio issued multiple apologies to not just the Board, but to Loudoun County through local newspapers as well. Stevens, however, says he doesn’t feel they’re genuine.
"To refer to a human being as 'it' is beyond insulting," Miller told the Washington Examiner.
Posted Thursday, Jan 21, 2010 - 6:24 PM EST
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