State Senator Jeff Jackson (D-Mecklenburg) is calling for the resignation of Lt. Governor Mark Robinson after a video surfaced Thursday in which Robinson refers to homosexuality and transgenderism as “filth.”
The video clip shared on Twitter by Right Wing Watch appears to be part of a longer address Robinson, a Republican, delivered June 6 at Asbury Baptist Church in Seagrove, NC.
North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson says Christians must take control of public schools because children are being abused by being taught "filth": "There's no reason anybody anywhere in America should be telling any child about transgenderism, homosexuality, any of that filth." pic.twitter.com/aXjCPFKTs0
Robinson, who is widely expected to run for governor in 2024, blasted public schools for their focus on equity, saying it was time for the church to “wrestle this away from those folks.”
“There’s no reason anybody anywhere in America should be should be telling any child about transgenderism, homosexuality, any of that filth,” said Robinson. “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.”
Sen. Jackson, a candidate for U.S. Senate, said the remarks were open discrimination and unacceptable.
The Mecklenburg County Democrat noted that no members of Robinson’s party have condemned the remarks:
But the fact that he feels comfortable saying this – confident that not a single elected member of his party will stand up to him, as none have – is why this is about more than just him. There's no shortage of enabling going on here.
In response, Senate Democratic Leader Dan Blue said the hateful stance is exactly what the state doesn’t need.
Senate Democratic Leader Dan Blue
“At best, Robinson’s comments reinforce the need to better fund our schools so that we can ensure that students are not taught to hate each other for their differences.
“Robinson’s recent comments about the LGBTQ community do not represent the beliefs of theSenate Democratic Caucus. It is our hope that no educator would ever teach their students to consider another person to be ‘filth’.
“Lieutenant Governor Robinson’s comments are hateful and serve to divide North Carolina. That’s not the kind of leader this state deserves.”
Former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley, who like Jackson is vying for the U.S. Senate, offered her own condemnation of Robinson’s anti-LGBTQ remarks on Friday:
Read more about Lt. Gov. Robinson’s mix of politics and religion in this piece by Policy Watch’s Joe Killian.
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