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Howell writes Mayor on Thorpe slur 04/05/99 GLAA testimony on police budget 03/29/99 |
Howell calls on ANC 2-C to repudiate Thorpe
Mr. Lawrence Thomas
Chairman
ANC 2-C
901 New Jersey Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
Dear Mr. Thomas:
I am writing to express our outrage over the comments uttered by your ANC’s representative, Leroy Thorpe, during a March 29 hearing before the Council Judiciary Committee. Mr. Thorpe declared his anger at the presence of what he called “faggots on the streets” in his neighborhood.
Mr. Thorpe’s ugly slur is unacceptable for any elected public official in the District of Columbia. Similar slurs against members of racial, religious, ethnic, or other groups would not be tolerated for one moment. This is not the first time he has referred to gays as “faggots” or has used demeaning language to disparage others in a variety of contexts.
Because Mr. Thorpe was acting as your ANC’s official representative when he made his latest outburst, we ask that you add consideration of his malicious conduct onto your agenda for your next meeting. We urge you to apologize to the gay and lesbian community, and indeed to the entire city, for his behavior while acting as your ANC’s spokesperson. Furthermore, we ask you to forbid him to serve as your ANC’s spokesman in any capacity until he shows sign of genuine reform and self-control.
To ignore his contemptible hate speech would be to condone it. We urge you to act promptly and decisively to disavow it.
Sincerely,
Craig Howell
President
Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance of Washington, DC
cc: All ANC 2-C Commissioners