Sat. May 6, 2017
Washington, D.C. -
Tennessee state Senator Mark Green, a Republican, on Friday withdrew his name from consideration as President Donald Trump's nominee to head the Army.
"It is with deep regret today I am withdrawing my nomination to be Secretary of the Army," Green wrote in a statement.
Green had been facing increasing opposition from advocacy groups, Democrats and even some Republicans over his opposition to LGBT rights.
As a Tennessee state lawmaker, Green spearheaded legislation similar to North Carolina's House Bill 2. One bill sought to prohibit cities from enacting LGBT protections, while another barred transgender students from using the bathroom of their choice.
He's also made derogatory comments toward transgender people. At a town hall last year, he called transgenderism a "disease." He's also called transgender people "evil."
(Related: Mark Green, Trump's pick for Army secretary, says transgender people are "evil.")
In withdrawing, Green said that his actions and beliefs had been mischaracterized for political gain.
"I am honored that President Trump nominated me for this position. ... But to meet these challenges, there should be no distraction. And unfortunately due to false and misleading attacks against me, this nomination has become a distraction," Green said.
"Tragically, my life of public service and my Christian beliefs have been mischaracterized and attacked by a few on the other side for political gain. While these false attacks have no bearing on the needs of the Army or my qualifications to serve, I believe it is critical to give the President the ability to move forward with his vision to restore our military to its rightful place in the world," he added.
GLAAD and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) had worked to derail Green's nomination.
"[Green's] nomination was a clear indication of Donald Trump's lack of judgement and failure to be a president for all Americans," said HRC President Chad Griffin.
Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, reacted to Green's withdrawal by stating that "discrimination and anti-LGBTQ beliefs have no place in our military."
"[We] now need to continue to hold the Trump Administration accountable by fighting back against every attempt to erase the LGBTQ community from this nation," she added.
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