Alabama Republican official: Freaking queers have gotten too much sympathy
Phil Benson, the elected treasurer of Mobile County, Alabama
An Alabama Republican official has hit out at “freaking queers” in a Facebook post.
Phil Benson, who is the elected treasurer of Mobile County, Alabama, made the comment on the county Republican Party Facebook page.
The party had shared a story about Jack Phillips, the Colorado baker who claims his religion prevents him baking cakes from gay people, facing further legal action after refusing to bake a cake for a trans person.
Alabama Republican Phil Benson: Freaking queers… a real abomination
Benson responded: “This poor guy needs to move to a place he is wanted. Freaking queers have gotten too much sympathy. A real abomination.”
The comment was later removed by the page moderators.
However, Benson refused to apologise for the jibe in an interview with local outlet WPMI.
Phil Benson, the elected treasurer of Mobile County, Alabama, defended his comments in an interview with WPMI
Prior to the interview, Benson insisted on the reporter reading a Bible verse about why it’s bad to rape houseguests, which is commonly misconstrued by evangelicals as a condemnation of gay relationships.
Asked if he understands his comments were offensive to gay people, Benson responded: “And gay people are offensive to me. Do you understand that?”
He explained: “They can be very offensive. All this beautiful rainbow stuff.
“When one of our presidents lit the White House with wonderful rainbow colours that offended me… I’m sorry they are offended. Their lifestyle offends me.”
Republican official rages at ‘the LBG-ABC whatever’
Benson went on to claim that gay people “have gotten too much power” and “control over us through the government.”
In a further interview with AL.com, Benson clarified: “It’s not only the gays, the LBG-ABC whatever. All groups have gotten just too strong, too powerful.”
Benson told the outlet he is likely to run for re-election in 2020.
The Mobile Country Republican Party is yet to condemn the remarks, and does not appear to have taken any disciplinary action against Benson over his comments.
However, Alabama Republican Chairman Terry Lathan told WPMI: “Mr Benson’s comments represent his own personal opinion. I find them to be unnecessary, divisive and reflect solely on himself.”
Earlier in June, the mayor of a small northern Alabama town suggested killing LGBT+ people in a Facebook post.
Mark Chambers, the mayor of Carbon Hill, wrote: “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.
“The only way to change it would be to kill the problem out. I know it’s bad to say but without killing them out there’s no way to fix it.”
Chambers initially denied making the comments, later admitted making them when proof was provided, and then claimed they had been taken out of context.
He remains in office.
