CHARLOTTE - At a private retreat Thursday afternoon, the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners voted in favor of moving forward on the possibility of offering domestic partner benefits to county employees. Commissioners voted 6-3 along party lines in favor of a proposal that would direct the County's human resources department to study the possibility of extending domestic partner benefits. The vote does not initiate the benefits and the Commission will revisit the issue in the future. On Monday, Republican Commissioner Bill James had voiced strong opposition to the proposal, saying offering such benefits to LGBT employees and their partners would be illegal. He cited the state's Crimes Against Nature law. At the same time he used an anti-transgender slur to describe transgender people and prejudicially and stereotypically accused bisexuals of being promiscuous and involved in three-way relationships.