(OPINION) North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson said Saturday that he “will not back down” as politicians call for his resignation over recently resurfaced comments in which he referred to “transgenderism” and homosexuality as “filth.”

“Let me tell you plainly right here and right now: I will not back down,” he said in a video posted to Facebook on Saturday. “I will not be silenced and I will not be bullied into submission. I will continue to fight for the rights of our children to receive an education that is free from sexual concepts that do not belong in the classroom.”

In June, Robinson spoke at Asbury Baptist Church in Seagrove, North Carolina, where he made derisive comments about educating children about LGBTQ+ issues. “There’s no reason anybody anywhere in America should be telling any child about transgenderism, homosexuality, any of that filth,” the Republican politician was heard saying in a video that was recently posted on social media.

“And yes, I called it filth, and if you don’t like that I called it filth, come see me and I’ll explain it to you.” Deputy White House press secretary and North Carolina native Andrew Bates called Robinson’s comments “repugnant and offensive.”

“The role of a leader is to bring people together and stand up for the dignity and rights of everyone; not to spread hate and undermine their own office,” Bates said in a statement Friday, according to CBS affiliate WNCN-TV. FULL REPORT