North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson says he doesn’t think any child in America should learn about LGBTQ+ people.
But Adolf Hitler, Mao Zedong and Joseph Stalin are OK!
Speaking at a Moms for Liberty event over the weekend, Robinson, who has a long and loathsome history of demonizing LGBTQ+ people, urged audience members to expose themselves to the musings of the worst dictators and despots in history.
“Here’s the thing: whether you’re talking about Adolf Hitler; whether you’re talking about Chairman Mao; whether you’re talking about Stalin; whether you’re talking about Pol Pot; whether you’re talking about Castro in Cuba, or other you’re talking about a dozen other despots all around the globe, it is time for us to get back to reading some of those quotes,” bellowed Robinson.
That’s right: as Republican-led legislatures enact LGBTQ+ school book bans across the country–26% of books removed from school shelves during the first half of last school year featured LGBTQ+ characters or themes–one of the party’s rising stars is suggesting kids read Hitler.
How repugnant.
Meanwhile… they push legislation to prevent teaching of vaguely defined “divisive topics” that a single adult in the district can use to file grievance that (depending on state) may lead to teacher firing, loss of license or worse.
— sannl (@sannl04) July 5, 2023
Good God
— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) July 5, 2023
While these remarks are gross, it’s not surprising Robinson made them at a Moms for Liberty conference. The far-right group, which fights against LGBTQ+ inclusion at all grade levels, quoted Hitler in its newsletter just two weeks ago.
But that apparently didn’t make Robinson, or GOP presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ron “Don’t Say Gay” DeSantis, uncomfortable about attending.
Apparently, Hitler is fine. But the gays are not.
Robinson’s record of making inflammatory statements about the LGBTQ+ community dates back to at least 2016, when he used the Pulse nightclub shooting to voice anti-gay views. “Homosexuality is STILL an abominable sin and I WILL NOT join in ‘celebrating gay pride’ nor will I fly their sacrilegious flag on my page,” he wrote on Facebook.
It doesn’t get any worse than that. But Robinson keeps trying!
Since then, he’s accused parents of “mentally raping” their transgender children, called gay people “filth,” labeled books with LGBTQ+ content as “child pornography,” compared LGBTQ+ people to “flies” and “maggots” and said it makes him “sick” to see churches fly the rainbow flag.
Earlier this year, Robinson said God put him on this earth to “fight LGBTQ+ issues.”
And while Robinson may not be a huge name now, he will be very soon. The gay-hating pol is running for governor in North Carolina next year. The current governor, Ray Cooper, a Democrat, can’t run again due to term limits.
Robinson being put in a real position of power is a terrifying thought. His views on LGBTQ+ people, and marginalized people in general, are vile.
Scroll down for more reaction to his latest revolting remarks…
Yep. That’s Jesus alright. He was arguing for dictators and butchers every day… That’s definitely the Christianity that I know. 🤷♂️
— Seiho Mudo Morris | 淸峰無道 (@SeihoMudo) July 5, 2023
At this point even Jesus’s ghost is saying WTF are these people doing?
What the f*ck????
— Harry Sisson (@harryjsisson) July 5, 2023
As @dril would say, issuing a correction…regarding Hitler, Stalin, and Mao, you do not, under any circumstances, have to go back and start reading their quotes…
— MrTherapyDog (@MrTherapyDog) July 5, 2023
Seems their goal is to be as ridiculous and outlandish as possible.
— Charles Costen-Sumpter🇺🇸🏳️🌈🗽 He/Him (@CharlesASumpter) July 5, 2023
KyleMichelSullivan
What is truly phenomenal about this man’s nonsense is, he’s helping people who hate him. If the WASP Supremacists do gain power, he’s one of the first people they’d do away with. No matter how much help he gave them. He’s not white.
You want to talk about Hitler? He was supported by some wealthier Jews because he was anti-gay, anti-commie, anti-union, anti-Gypsy, and anti-socialist. Sure, he spouted anti-Semitic bullshit, but they really didn’t think he’d go very far with it. They still wound up in the gas chambers. That’s what will happen with this creep, Candace Owens, Enrique Tarrio, Ben Shapiro, Tim Scott, Nikki Haley, and all the other minorities who back them.
abfab
Candace and Enrique. Imagine how HOT the children would be. Not that we need more GOP trash in the world.
My2CentsWorth
This thing makes me glad that I moved away from the state as soon as I got out of high school.
Yes, there will likely be no acceptance for such people as this horrible man and the others that you listed (I recall Nikki Haley being told to go back home – and that was not South Carolina where she was born).
abfab
At last! Some real Grade A Prime beef the GOPTROLLS who lurk here can sink their teeth into. A new hero to look up to and salivate over. This one is talking directly to you. Be sure to wipe your mouths.
Chrisk
Yes kids should learn history. Obviously this fat POS never bothered. So smug and full of his own self righteousness it’s nauseating.
abfab
It has become a very lucrative cottage industry and you know it.
frapachino
Fat shaming is ok now?
DBMC
I love it when conservatives concern troll and pretend they care about fat shaming.
ShaverC
Of course Queerty once again takes something and moves it out of it’s context and drops a misleading headline. Now some fools are going to read that headline and claim it’s true.
frapachino
Yae I don’t like the guy but I detest misinformation like this.
DBMC
What’s misleading about it?
smittoons
@DBMC This is edited to remove the rest of his sentence. I could say, “We all need to read more of Hitler’s speeches in order to understand how he mesmerized and twisted people, and make sure no one like him can ever come to power again. We are destined to repeat the past if we don’t study and learn from it.” Or you could edit that down and make me look like a Neo-Nazi.
Robinson is a terrible person, but it’s reprehensible to twist someone’s words, remove context, and then rile people up over a false narrative. We didn’t like it when “basket of deplorables” and “What difference does it make” were used to nail Hillary to the wall. It’s better to take the high road than be seen acting shocked and disturbed by a controversy one has manufactured. I don’t think playing the same mind tricks as Republicans is all that helpful, we’re supposed to be smarter than that.
They should show the full quote and then still make their points about studying history but ignoring LGBT+ people at the same time. It’s a valid argument but without the shady tactics.
DBMC
So, smittoons, he’s ironically saying that we should teach children so that we can avoid exactly what is happening with the current Republican party. Interesting.
LeBlevsez
Smittoons –
Moms for Liberty quoted Hitler in a newsletter. Moms for Liberty called the reporting that they had quoted Hitler dishonest, while in the same paragraph of the same press release apologizing for having quoted Hitler. The preface to the clip shown was Robinson defending Moms for Liberty for having quoted Hitler.
ShaverC and frapachino –
You’ll notice Robinson emphasizes the phrase “…read the quotes!” and goes on to call the sources ‘despots’, but never criticizes “the quotes!” This is the rhetorical equivalent of “Hitler had some good ideas.”
And, no. He never criticized the quotes. “It’s time we start teaching our children the despicable things they did.” Not “the despicable things they said.” More rhetorical twaddle. This is rich coming from people working to change the phrase ‘slave trade’ to ‘triangle trade” in high school history text books, because, you know, textiles and spices and people are all equally valid goods for trade. Another recent example of the attempt to whitewash history is the attempt to get high school history text books to reduce Rosa Parks’ experience to ‘A woman was arrested after refusing a lawful order from Police.” So yeah. I believe Robinson when he claims he wants to “start teaching our children.”
inbama
@ShaverC
Actual liberals believe in reason and truth – but you can lose elections by standing on principle.
The new received wisdom is “play to win.” And if that means anything from misrepresenting to outright making sh*t up, then so be it.
That is where we are.
Man About Town
What does this misguided meshuggeneh moron think would happen to him and his family if they were living under Hitler’s regime? Does he really think they would be welcomed into the “Aryan race”?
My2CentsWorth
Troubled people like him dream the impossible. Then they die the possible death.
James
He has an extremely sick mind.
Bosch
Splicing and misrepresenting speeches is bad. It’s bad when the right did to Obama, it’s bad when the left does it to this guy. The republicans are saying and doing enough vile things; we don’t need to invent more. This kind of misdirection is straight from the republican playbook.
Yes, he’s a hypocrite for his anti-lgbt views, but he is not romanticising dictators. Queerty, this text is verifiably misleading. It’s your responsibility as a news site to correct this article. I will leave Queerty behind in a heartbeat if you keep using the same manipulations that the republicans use.
This, and the White Lotus spoiler from a few months ago, seem to indicate that the journalistic and ethical qualities of Queerty are dropping.