City council race turns ugly for gay candidate

By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk • October 26, 2007 - 10:31

Sitting councilman Chuck Silcox urged those attending a Fort Worth Republican Women's Club meeting to vote for Chris Turner

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The gloves finally came off in a supposedly non-partisan city council race underway in Fort Worth, Texas.

Although six candidates are vying for an up-for-grabs seat that will be voted on November 6th, the spotlight turned to just two of them earlier this week.

Sitting councilman Chuck Silcox urged those attending a Fort Worth Republican Women's Club meeting to vote for Chris Turner, a Republican political consultant, instead of Joel Burns, a city zoning commissioner.

"This is an excellent time to have Republicans get out and support a Republican: Chris Turner," Silcox said, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

"We have two people of opposite partisan politics, opposite philosophical persuasions and opposite sexual orientations.

"I didn't tell you which one was homosexual," Silcox added.

"He's married to a female," he said while pointing to Turner, "and the other's married to a male. You make your own mind up."

Burns told the newspaper he was disappointed but not surprised by Silcox's comments.

"We live in the state of Texas, and I have a partner that I live with, who is a partner of 15 years," he said.

"It is unfortunate that Mr. Silcox and Mr. Turner want to bring partisanship to a nonpartisan race."

Silcox later attempted to apologize for his actions, telling the Star-Telegram, "I'm not trying to be derogatory about the young man. I've never even met him.

"From what I understand, he is openly gay," Silcox said of Burns.

"I'm not saying good, bad or otherwise. He has a different political philosophy and philosophy about life than most Republicans."

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