Mich. RNC Official Defends Anti-Gay Remarks on Christian Show
The Michigan Republican National Committee member who is being pressured by fellow republicans to step dow, stopped by Bryan Fischer's show on American Family Association Radio to defend himself.Right Wing Watch reports.
Dave Agema, who has come under fire for a series of anti-gay Facebook posts and for his comment linking gay men, AIDS and free health care benefits, defended himself and his controversial remarks on Fischer's "Focal Point" radio show. A number of high ranking Republican officials have called for Agema to resign over his comments.
"Political correctness is taking the place of freedom of speech," Agema said to Fischer. "And if you look at what's happened just here in the news media and particularly in Hollywood in the Grammys, they are just shoving this stuff down our throats and very few people are speaking up. And if you do speak up, you can expect to be slammed, and that's exactly what they call it, slamming and jamming, what they're doing to me right now."
According to RWW, Agema compared himself to "Duck Dynasty" star Phil Robertson and boxer Evander Holyfield, both who came under fire for making anti-gay remarks.
Agema first made headlines last March when he posted an anti-gay article to his Facebook. His peers urged him to resign but he refused. He was criticized again in December when he apparently made remarks about gay men lying about having AIDS in order to gain health care benefits.
"Folks, they (gay people) want free medical because they're dying (when they're) between 30 and 44 years old," Agema said. "To me, it's a moral issue. It's a Biblical issue. Traditional marriage is where it should be and it's in our platform. Those in our party who oppose traditional marriage are wrong."
Michigan Republicans once again called for Agema to resign.
"For the good of the party, we believe Dave Agema should resign," RNC Chairman Reince Priebus and Michigan party chairman Bobby Schostak said in a joint statement.
Agema didn't resign, however, and continued to spew anti-gay rhetoric by posting, then deleting, an article on his Facebook about Russia's anti-gay law, which he said was "common sense."
Watch Agema talk to Fischer below: