A make South Carolina mayor invited a man to sleep naked in his bed and then used an anti-gay slur a public comment portion of a Tuesday city council meeting.

A public commenter told Darlington Mayor Curtis Boyd that he shouldn’t be mayor because he doesn’t live within city limits. Boyd responded, “You’re welcome to leave with me tonight, and if you want, you can sleep in my bed butt naked with me. You’re welcome to sleep in the bed with me.”

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The man responded, “I’m not gay. I’m not a fa***t. I’m not a homosexual.”

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“I’m not a fa***t either,” Boyd said, “but you’re more than welcome to come live and see where I stay.”
Boyd then said that his residence and drivers license are both within the city. He then said that the man can visit him whenever he likes to prove what he said is true.

When asked about his comment, Boyd told WBTW “The F word means, that you are referring to means a bundle of sticks. And he said he was not that, I said I’m not that either. Whatever it is, I looked it up and it means a bundle of sticks. If you look at the dictionary.”

Most dictionaries also note that the word is a derogatory slur for a homosexual.

City Councilwoman Elaine Reed said Boyd should have simply stated the facts of his compliance without making any other comment. The other city council members had no comment despite being asked by WBTW.

Darlington is a rural town of about 6,289 people, approximately 76 miles east of Columbia, the capital city of South Carolina. Its population is 34.59% white and 60.37%.

South Carolina’s laws are not considered friendly to LGBTQ+ people, according to the Movement Advancement Project. The state has no anti-LGBTQ+ anti-discrimination laws, has religious exemption laws that could permit faith-based discrimination, and

It has laws banning trans students from accessing school facilities and sports teams that match their gender identity. The laws also require educators to out trans students to their parents, and trans people cannot change the gender marker on their driver’s licenses.

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