Ehrlich appointee fired over remark

[deadparrot]

WASHINGTON // Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. fired one of his appointees to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority yesterday after the board member asserted on a local cable talk show that homosexuals lived a life of "sexual deviancy."

The termination came a few hours after Metro board member Robert J. Smith, an architect and unsuccessful Republican candidate for the General Assembly from Montgomery County, was publicly confronted by a transit board colleague. Board member Jim Graham, a District of Columbia councilman who is openly gay, called on Smith to disavow his remarks or resign during yesterday's regular meeting of the panel, which oversees Metro business.

Graham said he was gratified that Ehrlich decided to replace Smith. Earlier in the day, Smith said that he stood by his beliefs, which he said stemmed from his Roman Catholic faith, and insisted that he would not resign unless ordered by the governor.

"Governor Ehrlich got it; Mr. Smith was clueless until the end," Graham said. "This is serious. To defend this point of view is beyond the pale. And so I think Governor Ehrlich got that very clearly, very quickly. So I appreciate his action."

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.metro16jun16,0,5412195.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

[sinkingfeeling]

1. Good for Ehrlich!

[VegasWolf]

2. Interesting. Smith proudly credits the Roman Catholic Church for his

homophobia and bigotry.

[MidwestTransplant]

3. Wait until the Fundies find out. He is a Republican right?

[benddem]

4. You know

I had a Catholic education for 12 years and attended mass and took communion weekly if not more regularly for 21 years albeit, not for the last 40 years. I never heard anyone speak about homo-sexuality..ONCE. What has happened?