Delegate defends remarks on homosexual ‘hate’

A Maryland lawmaker last week defended his comments at an earlier meeting in Montgomery County in which he said he was “spreading the hate of homosexual activists.”

Delegate Don Dwyer Jr. said he was alerting his audience to the hatred that homosexual activists have for those who oppose them and their agenda.

The Anne Arundel County Republican said he was not endorsing hatred for homosexuals.

Mr. Dwyer addressed about 200 people at a March 19 meeting organized by Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum, which opposes a proposed sex education curriculum in Montgomery County.

“I’ve been accused of spreading hate and fear among the churches throughout the state of Maryland. Guilty as charged. … I am spreading the hate of the homosexual activist, and I am spreading my fear of what’s going to happen in this great state and our great nation if the people of this world do not take a stand,” he said.

Mr. Dwyer last week acknowledged his comments could be misconstrued.

“I need to be careful about that,” he said.

• Too soon to tell

D.C. Mayor Anthony A. Williams says he has decided whether to run for a third term, but he is not ready to make an announcement.

In an interview Friday on WTOP Radio, Mr. Williams said he knows what he is going to do next year but isn’t sure when he will tell anyone. His best guess: “sooner or later.”

• Definite maybe

Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin, Maryland Democrat, says he plans to announce soon whether he will run for the U.S. Senate seat held by Paul S. Sarbanes, a Democrat.

“I am pretty much on schedule. I’ve talked to a lot of people, and they’ve all been very encouraging,” Mr. Cardin told the Baltimore Sun. “We’re going through this process, and I’m hoping to complete it within the time frame I’ve set out, which was a couple of weeks.”

Mr. Cardin, 61, is one of several Democrats eyeing the seat held by Mr. Sarbanes, who has announced that he will retire when his term ends after next year.

So far, only Kweisi Mfume of Baltimore — a former congressman who recently resigned as president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People — has formally announced his candidacy.

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