A Republican National Committeeman in Michigan is facing criticism for posting on Facebook an anti-gay article. And now a group of Republicans in the state has called for his resignation from the RNC, the Detroit Free Press reported Thursday.
Dave Agema, who previously served as a Michigan state representative, posted an article Wednesday on Facebook that described the lifestyle of homosexuals as “filthy.” It also listed “some statistics about the homosexual lifestyle,” including: “Many homosexual sexual encounters occur while drunk, high on drugs, or in an orgy setting (7),” “50% of suicides can be attributed to homosexuals (10)” and “Homosexuals account for 3-4% of all gonorrhea cases, 60% of all syphilis cases, and 17% of all hospital admissions (other than for STDs) in the United States (5).” (Here is a screen grab from Agema’s Facebook post.)
A statement from the group of Republicans, according to the Free Press, said, “This isn’t about what we believe either politically or as women and men of faith. This is about common decency and realizing that you cannot win an election by insulting a wide swath of the electorate, whose votes our Republican Party needs to once again form a national majority.”
Agema told the Free Press that “some publications and even a few liberal Republicans have chosen to take the words of someone else and cast them as my own.” He added that the article was worth sharing, given the landmark gay rights cases before the Supreme Court this week.
Michigan Republican Party Chairman Bobby Schostak said in a statement that the GOP supports traditional marriage, but does not endorse discrimination against anyone.
“Any statement or message in contrast undermines our party’s platform and our common sense conservative message,” he said, according to The Grand Rapids Press.
In a statement of his own, RNC Chair Reince Priebus said he agreed with Schostak. “The party’s position on traditional marriage is clear but as I have been saying, all human beings deserve to be treated with dignity and respect,” Priebus said.
Late update: Agema emailed Slate’s Dave Weigel to explain his position on homosexuality. Read his response here.
(YouTube/Dave Agema)
