We begin with Lieutenant
Governor Mark Robinson,
responding to calls for him to resign.
The Greensboro native says he
will not leave his office.
This all stems from comments Robinson made
at a Randolph County church back in June.
He spoke about the ELG Dek plus
community and explicit images in books
available in some libraries. Since
then, his office has received threats,
many with explicit language.
We want to warn you the story
we're about to show you includes
mature and graphic content.
Here's 21 sternos Kevin Kennedy. Lieutenant
Governor Mark Robinson not
backing away from recent
comments. When I stood on that.
In that pulpit on that Sunday,
and referred to filter,
I was not talking about any person.
I was talking about materials that
are being presented to our children
that are absolutely inappropriate.
These statements made back in
June surfacing now there's
no reason anybody anywhere in America
should be telling me about transgenderism.
Homosexuality, idiot at Phil.
And yes, I called it filled at a news
briefing in Raleigh this afternoon.
The Lieutenant governor sharing
drawings from books, he says,
are in some school libraries
were not called any person filled.
We're not calling anyone
anything less than human.
We're talking about materials,
inappropriate material,
several members of the LGBTQ
community calling for Robinson to
apologize or resign. He did neither.
Doubling down on his past comments. The
message I'm going to leave you with is this.
We are not resigning and not
only are we not resigning,
we are not gonna stop until the
schools in North Carolina are
safe from this kind of filth.
Those words. And the ones previously
spoken, upsetting to Corey Hennessy?
Think about how you're hurting people.
And think about the people that you're
supposed to be protecting as a person
in power in the political scene,
Hennessy is the director of
education for the LGBT Center.
If you're going after the fact
that you feel uncomfortable
or that you, you know,
think that these are adult themes.
Talk about all of it,
not just the the LGBTQ.
I could community
the Lieutenant governor, saying,
it doesn't matter if the sketches
and books said some North Carolina
schools showed two men, two women,
or a man and a woman calling it
highly sexual, but the only images
shown on this day are two men,
or According to him, two boys that
doesn't sit well with Hennessy.
Absolutely don't believe that he is.
In the minds of going, you know,
wanting to support the community,
so I'm calling his words Hateful
Robinson defending his actions,
also sharing what he says is
hateful and email and voicemail.
His office recently receiving
the N word used several times.
Here's the voicemail.
North Carolina speaking governor Mark
Robinson, hanging from the highest tree.
If he wants to call me and tell me
why I am filled, I would love it
for those hoping for some sort of
a mea culpa. They didn't get it.
Robinson vowing to continue his fight
to rid schools of materials like this.
Kevin Kennedy two wants to know
now those three books.
Robinson mentions are titled
George Lawn Boy and genderqueer,
the one with the explicit images Durham
and Orange County schools say they
each have one copy of the last book,
but they're not part of curriculum.
We asked to try in school
districts if they have the books.
Which is Salem Forsyth told us today the
only one available to students is George.
The district says it's at 5 different
schools approved for grades four and up,
but it's also not part of any lesson
plans in the classroom elements.
Burlington says none of the
books are used in lessons.
And it's looking into whether they're
actually in libraries we haven't
heard back from Guilford County.
Some faith leaders across our
state wrote a letter to Robinson
asking for an explanation.
Yesterday they held a news conference
outside of his office in Raleigh.
We heard from the pastor who led the charge,
particularly the calls.
He did this in the context of church
in the context of Christian worship.
Uhm, I want folks to hear very clearly
the queer community here very clearly
that this is not rooted in God.
It is not rooted in Christianity
that we are worthy that we are
not filled and that we are created
in the very image of God.
Several North Carolina groups have
responded to Robinson's comments tonight.
Equality, North Carolina
released a statement that reads,
in part, at a time when LGBTQ
people need a supportive state.
Robinson offered transphobia
and homophobia instead.
The North Carolina GOP tweeted in part the
NC GOP stands with Lieutenant governor.
Robinson resolutely defends parents
ultimate authority over their children's
education and opposes the inclusion
of explicit and intrusive materials.
Which have no place in
North Carolina classrooms.