Politican sues radio host for calling him gay

The former mayor of Raleigh, N.C. and a candidate for chairman of the state's Republican party has sued a local radio show host for libel, The Associated Press reports.

Fetzer stated in his complaint that he is not gay, according to the wire service, and that being called gay is defamatory because it is akin to charging him with a "crime or offense in moral turptitude."

But a 1994 North Carolina appellate ruling held that "falsely accusing someone of being gay or bisexual wasn't automatically slander because such an accusation is not tantamount to charging someone with a crime," the AP said.