VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Embattled Virginia Beach Human Rights Commission member Kenick El has resigned, according to his spokesperson.
On Tuesday night, a spokesperson emailed 13News Now and said El resigned in person at City Hall.
The announcement comes after calls from LGBTQ+ groups, city leaders and Congresswoman Elaine Luria called on El's resignation or removal from the commission.
El, a member of the Virginia Beach Human Rights Commission, made comments and posts on his personal Facebook page calling homosexuality a "mental illness" and an "abomination."
The posts came after the Human Rights Commission recommended that Virginia Beach City Council members should ask the general assembly to ban gay conversion therapy.
The posts and comments came after he shared a news story about a transgender woman convicted of sexual assault of a 10-year-old girl in a bathroom.
The initial post said, in part:
This is why we need to stop giving men in dresses passes. I have daughters and I won't accept them sharing a restroom with a grown man suffering from this mental illness. Men trying to be women and women trying to be men is really confusing our children and I'm tired of seeing this nonsense promoted to our children.
On Oct. 24, city leaders and LGBTQ+ groups held a press conference calling for El's resignation and denouncing his comment.
Mayor Dyer read a statement signed by all but two members of city council that said it was "no longer appropriate" for El to serve on the commission.
He agreed to step down during a meeting this week but that meeting was canceled without explanation.
13News Now asked for more specific information on El's resignation but haven't heard back from his spokesperson.
RELATED: Member of Virginia Beach Human Rights Commission calls homosexuality 'abomination,' 'mental illness'
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