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.