The West Virginia Democratic Party (WVDP) is calling on a Republican delegate to resign over what it referred to as "hate-filled remarks and actions" regarding the LGBT community.
"First of all, Delegate [Eric] Porterfield needs to resign," WVDP Chairwoman Belinda Biafore said in a statement shared on Facebook last Friday. "West Virginia has no room for someone who expresses such hate. Let alone room for him to hold a public office where he is supposed to represent the people of West Virginia. His hate-filled remarks and actions speak volumes and so does the Republican Party's silence."
"The Republican majority's leadership needs to condemn these actions," the statement continued. "Their silence is complicit and the people of West Virginia deserve better."
Porterfield used the slur "f----t" during a committee meeting last Wednesday as lawmakers discussed a proposed amendment related to anti-discrimination protections for LGBT people, according to The West Virginia Gazette Mail.