A Gaston County highway could soon be renamed to honor a longtime state senator who became a polarizing figure in North Carolina’s gay marriage debate.
To his supporters, Sen. James Forrester was a hero of conservatism and a defender of traditional matrimony. To his foes, he was a nemesis of the gay rights movement who categorized homosexuality as an “unhealthy lifestyle,” and once called Asheville a “cesspool of sin.”
Born in Scotland, Forrester moved to the United States as a toddler and became a physician, practicing family medicine for many years in Stanley. He was first elected to the state Senate in 1990 and spent more than two decades representing Gaston, Lincoln and Iredell counties as a Republican.
He was serving his 11th two-year term when he died in October 2011 at the age of 74.
Gaston County commissioners have drafted a resolution requesting that the N.C. Department of Transportation rename a portion of N.C. 27 in Stanley for Forrester. They will vote on the measure Tuesday.
Stanley town commissioners adopted a similar resolution last month. It seeks to rename a five-mile span of what is now Charles Raper Jonas Highway, as Senator James S. Forrester, M.D. Highway.
Jonas was a U.S. representative from Lincolnton, and a portion of N.C. 27 would continue to bear his name.
Bearing a torch for tradition
Forrester often worked on health issues in the Senate. But he became widely known, beginning in 2003, for annually filing a bill that would allow voters to decide whether to add a same-sex marriage ban to the state Constitution. A longtime Democratic majority in the General Assembly squashed it every year. But Republicans gave it quick traction upon gaining control of the Legislature in 2010.
The bill to put the measure on the ballot was approved in September 2011. Forrester was hailed by his GOP colleagues as a champion of the effort, and he died a little more than a month later.
Voters approved the gay marriage ban in May 2012. But a federal judge struck down that action last year, which legalized gay marriage across the state.
The resolution drafted by Gaston County commissioners makes no mention of those issues. It cites Forrester’s distinguished career as a brigadier general of the Air Force and Air National Guard, and his achievements in the field of medicine. It notes his service as an elected leader on several levels, religious involvement, numerous awards for public service, and the 30 legislative bills he introduced that became law.
What defines a legacy?
Forrester was criticized before his death for claiming the lifespan of gay people was shorter than that of heterosexuals — a notion that has been refuted repeatedly in the medical community.
Robert Kellogg, the former chairman of the Gaston County Democratic Party, said he isn’t surprised at the all-Republican county commission’s support of the measure. He said more caution should be taken in recognizing people whose ideals may not hold up as time passes.
“It is rather a sad commentary on the state of Gaston County politics when a state senator, known mostly for his very stringent fight against LGBT equality, will most likely have a road named in his honor,” he said.
Commissioner Chad Brown, a former Stanley mayor who is sponsoring the resolution, said the gay marriage debate should not frame Forrester’s legacy. He should be remembered for his service to his country, the patients he treated over the years, and to his constituents, Brown said.
“I think he’s defined by who he was as a citizen and as a great communicator to a lot of people,” said Brown. “He was a good man throughout. He was someone who went above and beyond to do right by people, and I think you also have to define him by what he meant to his community.”
You can reach Michael Barrett at 704-869-1826 or on Twitter @GazetteMike.
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