NC Lt. Gov. Asked to Resign After Calling Homosexuality 'Filth'

Politics

By Alyssa Wilson Published: October 13, 2021

NC Lt. Gov. Asked to Resign After Calling Homosexuality ‘Filth’

North Carolina Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson speaks Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021, in Raleigh, N.C. Robinson is facing calls to resign from elected officials and LGBTQ advocacy groups over comments he made in June in which he criticized teachings in K-12 public schools and likened peoples' sexual orientation to “filth.” (AP Photo/Bryan Anderson, file)

In Summary

North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson is under fire for controversial comments he made at a church in June.

Several North Carolina state senators are asking Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson to resign after a video on social media showed him making negative comments about the LGBTQ+ community.

According to CNN, the video, which shows Robinson speaking at a church in June, reveals him saying, “there’s no reason anybody anywhere in America should be telling any child about transgenderism, homosexuality—any of that filth.”

Robinson continued on to say, “It is flat-out child abuse. They take your children, and tell them they have to attend school, don’t have a choice. And then some of them will tell them they don’t want you to have a choice where they go to school, you have to send your children here to school. Then when they get there, what do they teach them? Teach them a bunch of stuff about how to hate America, teach them a bunch of stuff about why they are racist, teach them a bunch of stuff about transgenderism and homosexuality.”

The lieutenant governor also made it clear that he did not care who took issue with his statement, saying, “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 was forced to later clarify and his office said his comments were focused on education. “We must focus on reading, writing and mathematics in North Carolina,” a statement sent from his office said. “Our students have struggled with these topics even before the pandemic. Our primary focus needs to be helping our students succeed, not on topics that should be discussed at home.”

Democratic State Senators Jeff Jackson and Wiley Nickel are calling for Robinson to step down from his role.

North Carolina's Lt. Governor, Mark Robinson, just angrily referred to the LGBTQ community as "filth."

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. pic.twitter.com/rUhzXZm8Jd
— Sen. Jeff Jackson (@JeffJacksonNC) October 7, 2021

I agree with @JeffJacksonNC. Mark Robinson is a disgrace and an embarrassment to our state – he should resign immediately.

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. https://t.co/AckGzuIdA3
— Senator Wiley Nickel (@wileynickel) October 8, 2021

Democratic Governor Roy Cooper gave the following statement to CNN:

“North Carolina is a welcoming state where we value public education and the diversity of our people. It’s abhorrent to hear anyone, and especially an elected official, use hateful rhetoric that hurts people and our state’s reputation.”

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