Raleigh [Sat. Oct. 16, 2021]—“Sexuality and gender identification are diverse and innate characteristics individuals are born with, and no innate characteristic should ever be referred to as filth,” said Travis Groo, chair of the Libertarian Party of Wake County in a statement issued today.

He said Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson’s statements about the LGBTQ community are “unacceptable.” 

Here is the text of the full statement:

“Diversity enriches the tapestry of life and society. Individuals are each gifted with innate characteristics and should be encouraged to embrace them, accept the way they have been born, and make the most of their life. Sexuality and gender identification are diverse and innate characteristics individuals are born with, and no innate characteristic should ever be referred to as filth. 

“What Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson has said about the LGTBQ community on several occasions is unacceptable and should be called out. As Libertarians we support everyone’s right to say whatever they want to say, but others also have the right to respond in an appropriate manner.

“Education is the largest expense in the state budget, and parents are required to enroll students in school. Many parents, particularly lower income parents, have no feasible alternative to government run schools. 

“Yet parents are not given free access to the schools, there is a general lack of transparency, and they do not have access to a full online library catalog and cannot determine what books children are being exposed to. 

“It is beyond disturbing that our children are being given access to sexually explicit material without parental supervision; however, Lt. Gov. Robinson has focused exclusively on books written for the LGBTQ community and ignored most sexually explicit books written for heterosexuals. It is bigoted to frame this discussion as an LGBTQ issue.

“This is a perfect example of why school choice is so important, and why Libertarians have and will continue to campaign hard on this issue. 

“Like many parents, Libertarians don’t want the state teaching our kids anything about sexuality other than basic anatomy, physiology and biology. Sexual preferences and bedroom matters do not need to be taught to our children. These subjects are personal and private, and it should be left up to parents to decide how they want to talk to their kids about sexual topics. 

“Parents have the right to teach their kids whatever they want, but the state does not. This does not excuse any hate speech that Lt. Gov. Robinson has been spewing. Libertarians promote equality for all, and we choose love. The Libertarian Party has supported marriage equality since the formation of the party in 1971. We have never changed that position, unlike the old, establishment parties.”