James Forrester (politician) - Political Career

Political Career

Forrester was elected a Gaston County commissioner in 1982. In 1990, Forrester was elected to the North Carolina Senate.

He gained notoriety when he became the chief sponsor of Senate Bill 514 which would amend the state constitution to ban same-sex marriages in North Carolina in 2011. He had introduced this amendment at every session since 2004. After the Republicans won control of the General Assembly, Forrester's amendment eventually passed both houses. The proposed amendment to the constitution will appear on the state's 2012 primary ballot.

Forrester came under fire for allegedly misrepresenting his medical credentials. He claimed to be a member of the American Medical Association, a fellow of the American College of Preventive Medicine and an associate fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association. The ACPM revealed that Forrester was not a member of the ACPM, let alone a fellow. Later that day, Laura Leslie of WRAL-TV in Raleigh learned that Forrester was not an associate fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association either. The next day, Leslie reported that Forrester was not a member of the American Medical Association. Senator Forrester's response to this was, “If there’s anything falsified on my records it was inadvertently done.” He added, “The gay and lesbian community is looking for anything they can to discredit me.”