Calls are growing for North Carolina Republican Lt. Governor Mark Robinson to resign after video of remarks he made in June, calling LGBTQ people “filth,” went viral this week, as NBC News and others are reporting.
Robinson, who is also a conspiracy theorist, climate change denialist, anti-abortion activist, and NRA board member, is not only refusing to resign, he’s now claiming he is the one being attacked because of his political beliefs.
“We will not be intimidated. We will not back down. We will not change our language,” Robinson, for reasons unknown calling himself “we,” said. “The language I used, I am not ashamed of it. I will use it in the future because, again, it is time for parents in this state to take a strong stand for their children.”
In his June speech, delivered at a church, Robinson declared, “I’m saying this now, and I’ve been saying it, and I don’t care who likes it.”
“There’s no reason anybody anywhere in America should be telling any child about transgenderism or homosexuality,” Robinson declared. “Any of that filth!”
“And yes, I called it ‘filth,’ he continued in that speech. “And if you don’t like it that I called it ‘filth,’ come see me and I’ll explain it to you. It’s time for us to stop letting these children be abused in schools, and it’s not going to happen til the people of God stand up and demand different, same ones that established those schools to begin with.”
Robinson’s choice of word appears very deliberate: for decades the religious right has promulgated the lie that LGBTQ people are child abusers.
“It is flat-out child abuse,” Robinson said.
Democratic state Senator Jeff Jackson is one of many demanding Robinson’s resignation.
“Calling many of your own constituents ‘filth’ means you have no intention of representing them,” Jackson added on social media.
“Our Lt. Governor should resign and allow someone who is prepared to do the job to take his place,” Jackson said. “This wasn’t a dog whistle, folks. This was old school hate.”
Last month Robinson spoke to other radical religious-right activists, declaring America is a “Christian nation,” and said school shootings will stop when children learn about Jesus.
Here’s how some are responding to Robinson’s attacks on the LGBTQ community.