While speaking to the The Alabama Association of Realtors, U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL) made some obnoxious comments. He was swiftly taken to task in an open letter by Equality Alabama Chairman Ben Cooper:
“When you marginalize our community, we will not be silent….You allegedly joked about how nice it was to be called ‘Honey’ and ‘Sweetie’ by a woman at an Alabama restaurant rather than a D.C. men’s room,” Cooper wrote. “And you went on to mock our nation’s capitol as a ‘cross between Detroit and San Francisco’ — an obvious reference to Detroit’s racial makeup and San Francisco’s vibrant gay culture. Comments like these are racist, homophobic, and hurtful, and they will not be tolerated.”
When conservatives make fun of San Francisco, it just shows that they have probably never been there. It is such a desirable place to live, that a basement in SF, probably costs more than a four bedroom house in Rep. Rogers insipid neighborhood. The Alabama Association of Realtors also issued a statement:
“At the Board of Directors meeting this morning one of our speakers made some remarks that were inappropriate and offensive to some of our members,” the statement said. “Those remarks are not reflective of AAR or our policies. Moving forward we will endeavor to prevent such inappropriate remarks at our events or meetings.”
I lived in Washington, DC for eight years and no one ever called me “honey” in the bathroom. I suggest that Rogers not spend so much time lurking in the john at Union Station, if he wanted to lessen his chances of being hit on.