State Sen. James Forrester, one of the main sponsors of the proposed anti-same sex marriage amendment, is standing by his remarks calling Asheville “a cesspool of sin,” according to a report from M2M radio. Forrester also dubbed Asheville, Chapel Hill and Wilmington as competitors for “the worst place in the state.”

Forrester made the original remarks at a church rally in support of the amendment.

“It was kind of brought up in a church meeting we had and I don’t know what prompted me to say that, but I distinctly remember a couple of weeks ago they were all out baring their breasts and everything up in Asheville,” Forrester says in the report. “They have a lot of very liberal people. They have a lot of homosexuals that live in the Asheville area.”

He added: “I think, it used to be you think of Wilmington with all the movie people down there would be the worst place in the state or Chapel Hill where they have a lot of liberal people and so forth. But Asheville is just doing a lot of things that I don’t like and I don’t think a lot of people in the Asheville area like.”

Forrester’s remarks triggered an apology from the mayor of Gastonia, and t-shirts designed by local artists.

The amendment, which would also prohibit civil unions and domestic partner benefits, will be on the statewide primary ballot in May 2012.

M2M published this interview with Sen. Forrester from which the above quotes are taken:

— David Forbes, senior news reporter