North Carolina lieutenant governor ‘will not back down’ after calling LGBTQ people ‘filth’
"I will not be silenced," says Republican Mark Robinson.
Words: Alastair James; pictures: Facebook/Mark Robinson and Pexels
A Republican governor in the United States has refused to back down after describing parts of the LGBTQ community and homosexuality as “filth”.
North Carolina’s lieutenant governor Mark Robinson’s comments from a speech in June have recently resurfaced on social media, with footage from the occasion showing him making several homophobic remarks.
In a video posted to Facebook on Saturday (9 October), he said he wouldn’t be silenced and would continue fighting to protect children in schools.
“I will not back down”
Claiming to have been “viciously attacked” over for arguing for the removal of sexual content from children in schools, Robinson says his words have been turned against him by the media to attack the LGBTQ community.
He promised to defend the rights of every American, including the LGBTQ community saying it was “their rights as Americans” to express their identities as they want.
Referring to literature with LGBTQ themes and showing images depicting same-sex couples Robinson says: “Let me tell you plainly right here and right now: I will not back down. I will not be silenced and I will not be bullied into submission.
“I will continue to fight for the rights of our children to receive an education that is free from sexual concepts that do not belong in the classroom.”
It follows the Governor’s comments made in June at the Asbury Baptist Church in Seagrove in North Carolina. According to The Independent, he was filmed saying: “There’s no reason anybody anywhere in America should be telling any child about transgenderism, homosexuality, any of that filth.
“And yes, I called it filth, and if you don’t like that I called it filth, come see me and I’ll explain it to you,” he added.
These comments have been strongly rebuked by many, including the White House’s Deputy Press Secretary, Andrew Bates, who described the Governor’s comment’s as “repugnant and offensive,” adding that a leader should bring people together, not tear them apart.
North Carolina State Senator, Jeff Jackson joined calls for Robinson to resign calling his comments “old school hate”.
Calling many of your own constituents “filth” means you have no intention of representing them.
Our Lt. Governor should resign and allow someone who is prepared to do the job to take his place.
This wasn’t a dog whistle, folks. This was old school hate.https://t.co/uFDA9VzJA8
— Sen. Jeff Jackson (@JeffJacksonNC) October 8, 2021
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