‘Yes, I called it filth’: Video surfaces of NC Lt. Governor making controversial statements

RALEIGH, N.C. — Controversy is swirling around North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson after statements he made during an event in June.

According to WTVD, a group called “Right Wing Watch” posted a clip on social media Wednesday of Robinson speaking at Asbury Baptist Church in Seagrove in June. In the video, he can be heard making comments about teaching sexual content in schools.

“There’s no reason anybody anywhere in America should be telling any child about transgenderism, homosexuality, any of that filth,” he is heard saying in the video. “Yes, I called it filth,” he said. “And if you don’t like that I called it filth, come see me and I’ll explain it to you.”

Robinson also criticized the controversial Critical Race Theory during the speech. He went on to say education is not a political issue, but rather a spiritual one.

Robinson doubled down on his comments in an interview with WTVD on Friday.

”There is material out there that is pushing these issues and teaching our children about these issues,” he said of alleged sexual content being taught in schools.

However, he told WTVD that he wasn’t talking about equality when it comes to sexual orientation.

”We are not talking about the fight for equality and if those people want to challenge me on that, that’s fine,” he said. “What I’m talking about are intimate details and yes, there is material out there that shares intimate details about homosexuality, about sexuality in general, to our students. That has got to stop.”

His comments prompted the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, to call for his resignation.

“We are calling on Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson to resign for his disgraceful, hateful statements directed at LGBTQ+ people,” the Human Rights Campaign’s statement said. “If Lt. Governor Robinson still doesn’t understand how anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric is received in North Carolina, he should ask former Governor Pat McCrory. This is not the first time Robinson has shared his discriminatory views, but it should be the last time he gets away with it as an elected leader. North Carolinians deserve better than these dehumanizing comments. This incident only reaffirms the serious need for comprehensive non-discrimination protections that would outlaw discrimination and make North Carolina a safer place for LGBTQ+ people to live.”

Democrat Jeff Jackson, who is running for U.S. Senate, called on Robinson to resign over the comments made on the video.

”It is our duty to stand with the LGBTQ+ community in the face of this kind of hatred,” he said in a statement. “These comments are abhorrent. To hear this from a member of such a high office signals to countless folks that they’re unwelcome in our state.”

In 2020, Robinson was elected North Carolina’s first Black lieutenant governor, even though several controversial social media posts surfaced publicly during the campaign.

Gov. Roy Cooper’s office on Friday sent the following statement to WTVD about the video:

“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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