Dear Sir,The escalating trend of people in the public domain making outrageous statements with impunity is worrisome, especially given the delicate economic position the Island has found itself in. Deputy Mayor Donal Smith’s recent rant against homosexuality, which was followed by a broadside against the Island’s international business community, all in the same breath it seems, is an example of this, although I would argue it has also pushed this reckless type of discourse to a new low.Unfortunately, the sense of public indignation that follows these kinds of diatribes typically dissipates into a sense of frustration and resignation. We all sit around nervously waiting for another bomb to drop. The level of hypocrisy in Mr Smith’s remarks however is so galling that it requires an ongoing public repudiation by all of us, especially since, as it has already been claimed, Mayor Graeme Outerbridge is impotent in bringing his deputy to account.For starters, to lay the blame of the breakdown of our society on the international business community is not only absurd, it also conveniently ignores the significant contribution this part of economy makes to the bottom line of Mr Smith’s business, albeit indirectly. I am also quite sure that he and his partners will be adopting a completely different tone when it comes to securing the international financing that will be required for the grand development schemes they have in mind for Hamilton. The Deputy Mayor also fails to mention that he is directly part of the economy that he so indiscriminately vilifies.According to his LinkedIn profile, Mr Smith is an Executive Vice President of St Regis, which is part of the Starwood Hotels group and just happens to be an international business concern.The opening salvo of Mr Smith’s diatribe, however, began with an attack on homosexuality. The issue of gay rights has become a highly politicised one in Bermuda, despite the fact that it basically constitutes fundamental rights. It is no surprise that the debate often verges into the realm of farce. Detractors of the Attorney General for example, asserted that his use of the commonly used term “drinking the Kool Aid” in arguments he made supporting gay rights was enough to call for his resignation. While both sides of the House lack the fortitude to completely do away with this type of discrimination, no one has taken that as a licence to spew the poisonous bigotry that Mr Smith deemed appropriate.Sill, his defenders will claim that his remarks are protected by our constitution’s guarantees on the freedom of speech and expression, which ignores the fact the Mr Smith is a public figure. Such a role has limits, as well as inherent responsibilities, especially when it comes to voicing one’s opinion on sensitive matters such as this.There is also another distinction here regarding Mr Smith’s unfortunate remarks and that would concern his role as an employee or representative of the St Regis.The full rights freedom of expression are not extended to an employee or representative of a private or public company, especially if those views harm the business interests of that firm. As an Executive Vice President of St Regis, Mr Smith should have availed himself of the fact that the hotel chain prides itself on how it treats all of its guests, which includes international business and homosexuals, or “freaks” as he refers to them. He should also have known that in 2012, the company scored a 100% rating on the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) tenth annual Corporate Equlaity Index and is a proud recipient of the HRC “Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality” award. As well as offending many of us, it would seem that Mr Smith, in this instance, has also managed to offend his colleagues at St Regis and many the hotel chain’s valued clientsOn a lighter note, the irony that Mr Smith is currently abroad on a tax payer funded trip to Colombia to drum up international business does not seem to be lost on your readers. Incidentally, the Constitutional Court in Colombia has granted same-sex couples with the same rights as heterosexual couples, which was also not enough to deter the Deputy Mayor from attending the week long conference. I hope he is coping well in what must be frightfully difficult trip for him.Respectfully,Kees van BeelenNew York