CRANE organizer Lacey Williams and I had the chance to chat with Keith Larson during his show on WBT News-Talk 1110 AM on Wednesday. Larson’s invite to us was extended after CRANE presented Mecklenburg County Commissioner Bill James a special Valentine’s Day card saying “Gay is OK” and imploring James to lay aside his anti-gay rhetoric and begin treating all Mecklenburg County citizens with the respect and dignity they deserve.

On Larson’s show, we got into a great conversation about words, slurs and labels. Where did they come from? What do they mean? Do they matter? How confusing is all this?

It was a great educational moment for our community, Charlotte’s straight community and Larson’s listeners. 

There’s this small movement within LGBT circles and other minority groups saying labels don’t matter, or that labels are bad. Plenty of folks, for good reason, are shedding labels and refusing to name themselves as this or that. I think it’s great some of us have gotten to the point where labels truly don’t matter to our personal lives or identity. But in public and political discourse, labels and words do still matter a great deal.

As Lacey told Larson, the words we recognize as anti-gay slurs are the very words used by anti-gay elected officials and religious leaders when they attempt to “put us in our place.” They are used to malign and stigmatize and prove only to encourage division, prejudice and continued discrimination. These words are also the ones most likely to be hurled at a youth right before he or she gets slammed into a locker, gets spat on, punched or kicked. And these words are the ones screamed at unknowing victims of heinous hate crimes.

Deep down, Bill James is probably a great guy. He’s an asset to our local community. He’s been in elected office for more than a decade. In that time he’s contributed much to our local political scene and government. Just imagine how much more he could contribute, in positive ways, if he learned how to respect all the citizens he serves.

Communities where both people and leadership respect all their citizens and residents, involve them in the legislative process and give equal and fair voice to all are the communities that see success. Bill James and the District 6 citizens who continually re-elect him have two options: Continue their anti-LGBT tirades and create a community divided and cut off at the knees, or take the time and courtesy to reach out, speak to and understand, even if in disagreement, the people around them. The latter option seems the wisest to me.