The mayor of a rural Alabama town is refusing to step down after his comments about “killing” members of the LGBTQ community made national headlines.
Carbon Hill Mayor Mark Chambers told the Daily Mountain Eagle, a local newspaper, in an interview Tuesday that “he did not intend to resign.” During a city council meeting Tuesday evening, local politicians formally asked for the mayor’s resignation, according to Birmingham TV station WSFA.
In a now-deleted Facebook post, Chambers wrote in all capital letters: “We live in a society where homosexuals lecture us on morals, transvestites lecture us on human biology, baby killers lecture us on human rights and socialists lecture us on economics!”
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In a subsequent comment, the mayor wrote: “The only way to change it would be to kill the problem out. I know it’s bad to say but with out [sic] killing them out there’s no way to fix it.”
Chambers’ comments come just as the nation kicks off Pride Month.
The post, which has been removed, was originally reported by the Birmingham TV station WBRC.
In a telephone call with the station, Chambers initially denied writing the post. He later backtracked, admitting he was responsible and adding that he believed he was sending a private message, not a public post.
Chambers claimed he “never said anything about killing out gays” but that “if it comes to a revolution in this country both sides of these people will be killed out.”
On Tuesday, Chambers issued an apology on Facebook: “Although I believe my comment was taken out of context and was not targeting the LGBTQ community, I know that it was wrong to say anyone should be kill [sic].”
A multiple calls and emails to the city clerk’s office were not immediately returned.
