OAN’s Elizabeth Volberding
6:30 PM – Tuesday, February 13, 2024
North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, the leading Republican candidate for governor, stated at a campaign rally earlier this month that transgender people “should be arrested” if they use the restroom of their choice if it does not correlate with their sex assigned at birth.
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The Washington Post was the first to report on Robinson’s assertion regarding transgender people, specifically biological men who identify as transgender women, in a rally video.
Robinson (R-N.C.) can be seen speaking on camera earlier this month at a Greenville gubernatorial campaign rally in North Carolina.
In the video, Robinson declared that transgender women should be arrested if they attempt to use restrooms meant for biological women.
“We’re going to defend women in this state,” Robinson said. “That means if you’re a man on Friday night, and all the sudden on Saturday, you feel like a woman, and you want to go into the women’s bathroom in the mall, you will be arrested — or whatever we got to do to you.”
In another clip, the Republican politician said, “If you are a man, you better go to the men’s bathroom. If you are confused, find a corner outside.”
In North Carolina, LGBTQ transgender rights topics, especially in regards to bathroom access, have long been an ongoing controversial issue.
In 2017, the Tar Heel State became the first to outlaw transgender people from using their preferred public restroom of choice, which prompted a major backlash from LGBTQ advocates and activists. However, following a compromise by state lawmakers, that law was repealed, and in 2019, a federal judge threw out an updated version of it.
According to early polls for the North Carolina’s Republican gubernatorial primary, Robinson was leading over other candidates. Additionally, In June, former President Donald Trump endorsed him, and he now has a sizable fundraising advantage over other rivals.
Over time, Democrats have consistently criticized Robinson by labeling him as a “radical.” They have drawn attention to his past controversial remarks on a range of subjects, such as when he allegedly downplayed the Holocaust, or when he has referred to LGBTQ people as “filth.”
However, Robinson maintains that his words were taken out of context in order to fit an agenda.
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