Loudoun County supervisors blasted one of their colleagues Wednesday for sending out a constituent e-mail referring to “cross dressing freaks” in response to the board’s recent decision not to discriminate in hiring based on sexual orientation.
The e-mail in question was sent by Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio, R-Sterling, on Jan. 5, the day the Board of Supervisors updated language in its hiring policy.
In 2006, Tim Kaine, then the Virginia governor, signed an executive order protecting employees from discrimination based on sexual orientation. The board’s move updated the county’s equal employment opportunity statement to conform to the state’s policy.
That “means that if a man dressed as a woman wants a job, you have to treat ‘it’ as a normal person,” Delgaudio’s e-mail reads.
Later in the e-mail, Delgaudio laments the board passing “special employment legislation for hiring open homosexuals and cross dressing freaks.”
The apparent reference to a cross-dresser as “it” drew particular ire from some board members.
“To refer to a human being as ‘it’ is beyond insulting,” said Supervisor Stevens Miller, D-Dulles.
Supervisor Jim Burton, I-Blue Ridge, said that the choice of words should be considered embarrassing for the county.
Delgaudio amended his comments Wednesday by saying that the situation would have to be dealt with if a cross-dresser wanted a job, but stood by his opposition to the change.
“I think that the board did a freaky, bizarre, and fruity thing that day,” Delgaudio said.
But Supervisor Sally Kurtz, D-Catoctin, wasn’t buying it.
“I think I know when I hear an apology, and I don’t believe I heard one this morning,” she said.
“I do hope that you will work on controlling yourself in public,” she told him.
The scene devolved further when Delgaudio repeatedly interrupted Chairman Scott York as York tried to comment. The chairman had to tell Delgaudio to “hush” multiple times.
“I want to apologize to anybody who has listened to this, and I’m very sorry that this has happened up here,” said Supervisor Andrea McGimsey, D-Potomac.
