North Carolina Lt. Gov. faces calls to resign after calling gay and transgender people ‘filth’ – Daily Mail
North Carolina Lt. Governor Mark Robinson is facing calls to resign after he was caught on video calling gay and transgender people ‘filth’.
Footage, first posted online by advocacy group Right Wing Watch on Wednesday, shows Robinson addressing the congregation at the Asbury Baptist Church in Seagrove back in June.
The Republican, who would take over if the state’s Democratic Governor Roy Cooper stood down or was impeached, is seen raging that children should not learn about such ‘filth’ in public schools and using a derogatory phrase for transgender people.
‘I’m saying this now, and I’ve been saying it, and I don’t care who likes it: Those issues have no place in a school,’ he says.
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North Carolina Lt. Governor Mark Robinson is facing calls to resign after he was caught on video (above) calling gay and transgender people ‘filth’
Footage shows Robinson addressing the congregation at the Asbury Baptist Church in Seagrove back in June, raging that children should not learn about such ‘filth’ in public schools and using a derogatory phrase for transgender people
‘There’s no reason anybody anywhere in America should be telling any child about transgenderism, homosexuality – any of that filth.’
Transgenderism is regarded as a derogatory term in the LGBTQ+ community as it was coined by anti-transgender activists to suggest transgender people suffer from a condition.
In the video, Robinson continues to double down on his comments saying ‘yes, I called it filth’ and claiming children are being ‘abused in schools’ that support LGBTQ+ rights.
‘And yes, I called it filth. And if you don’t like it that I called it filth, come see me and I’ll explain it to you,’ he says.
‘It’s time for us to stop letting these children be abused in schools, and it’s not going to happen till the people of God stand up and demand different, same ones that established those schools to begin with.’
Since the footage surfaced, Robinson has been slammed by several lawmakers in the state including Cooper, who described his comments as ‘abhorrent.’
‘North Carolina is a welcoming state where we value public education and the diversity of our people,’ Cooper’s office said in a statement to NBC News.
‘It’s abhorrent to hear anyone, and especially an elected official, use hateful rhetoric that hurts people and our state’s reputation.’
Senator Jeff Jackson, who represents North Carolina’s 37th District, posted a series of tweets demanding Robinson’s resignation.
Governor Roy Cooper (left) described Robinson’s (right) comments as ‘abhorrent’ while other lawmakers have called for his resignation
‘North Carolina’s Lt. Governor, Mark Robinson, just angrily referred to the LGBTQ community as ‘filth’,’ he wrote.
‘Then he says, ‘Yes, I called it filth.’ There’s no debate here.
‘This is open discrimination. It is completely unacceptable. Mark Robinson should resign.’
Jackson described Robinson’s comments as ‘old school hate’ and vowed that the LGBTQ+ community should not have to deal with this hate any longer.
‘To our LGBTQ friends who were the targets of this discrimination, you’ve had to put up with this hate for far too long,’ he wrote.
Senator Jeff Jackson, who represents North Carolina’s 37th District, posted a series of tweets demanding Robinson’s resignation
Jackson was joined by other Democrats in calling for Robinson’s resignation including State Senator Wiley Nickel
‘This kind of behavior should be part of our past, not our present. We’re going to prevail over it, again, and move closer to full equality and dignity.’
Jackson also pointed to other ‘hateful and discriminatory’ anti-LGBTQ+ comments made by Robinson in the past.
Back in 2016, the Republican called homosexuality an ‘abominable sin’ and said he would not ‘fly their sacrilegious flag on my page’ in the aftermath of the Pulse nightclub mass shooting.
‘First, let me say that I pray for the souls of all those killed, healing for all those wounded, and comfort for the family members of the terrorist shooting in Orlando,’ Robinson wrote on his Facebook page at the time.
‘However, homosexuality is STILL an abominable sin and I WILL NOT join in ‘celebrating gay pride’ nor will I fly their sacrilegious flag on my page.
‘Sorry if this offends anyone, but I’m not falling for the media/pop culture ‘okey-doke.”
On June 12 2016, 29-year-old Omar Mateen murdered 49 people and wounded 53 others at the gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida.
It was the deadliest attack on the LGBTQ+ community in American history.
Mateem was shot dead by cops following a three-hour standoff.
In 2016, Robinson called homosexuality an ‘abominable sin’ and said he would not ‘fly their sacrilegious flag’ after the Pulse nightclub shooting (pictured) killed 49
Jackson was joined by other Democrats in calling for Robinson’s resignation.
State Senator Wiley Nickel tweeted: ‘I stand with the LGBTQ Community and hope you will join me in condemning this hate speech from the most senior Republican elected official in our state.’
Meanwhile, Robinson’s spokesperson has defended his comments telling NBC News his comments ‘refer to education’ and his belief ‘transgenderism and homosexuality’ should not be discussed in schools.
‘Topics surrounding transgenderism and homosexuality should be discussed at home and not in public education,’ Waugh said.
‘We must focus on reading, writing, and mathematics in North Carolina,’ he said.
He added that Robinson was exercising his constitutional right to freedom of expression and was ‘referring to teaching about these topics in the classroom, not about individuals of the LGBTQ community.’