RNC Chairman Reince Priebus and
Michigan Party Chairman Bobby Schostak on Friday called on Dave
Agema, Michigan's GOP committeeman, to resign over anti-gay remarks.
“For the good of the party, we
believe Dave Agema should resign,” Priebus and Schostak said in a
joint statement.
Agema has courted controversy with a
string of anti-gay and anti-Muslim remarks.
Last month, he told a Republican
audience that gays want free medical care because they are dying
young, presumably from AIDS. He was severely criticized in March
after he promoted an article which described gays as “filthy
homosexuals” in a Facebook post.
Hours after Priebus and Schostak called
for his resignation, Agema issued a statement acknowledging he's made
mistakes but vowed to continue in his post.
“I acknowledge errors in judgment and
how I addressed them, feel badly about the impact this has had on
many here in the land I love, and have learned valuable lessons about
the requirements and responsibilities that are to be expected and
honored by all who are in leadership positions, including myself,”
he said.