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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — An audio recording of the exchange between U.S. Rep. Robert Pittenger and a Washington, D.C.-based reporter over discrimination in the workplace which sparked controversy has surfaced.

WSOC-TV reported that a Think Progress reporter asked Pittenger if he “thought businesses should be able to fire someone bcause they are gay or lesbian”

Pittenger said that people are already “protected.” Pittenger went on to say businesses should have “autonomy to run their own business.”

The question was asked at a Ballantyne town hall this month.

Channel 9 reached out to Pittenger and he issued the following statement:

“The statutes are clear, that Americans are well protected already. We should fully enforce current laws against discrimination. I hear America’s cry for more jobs and a stronger economy, not more federal regulations added to the vast maze of federal regulations we have already. That can only stifle the ability of entrepreneurs to create new businesses and new jobs. It’s incredibly hard to operate or start a business already, and I don’t think America is begging for more obstacles to an economic recovery. Where does it stop? Is the next regulation going to prohibit a layoff even during an economic downturn? Will the next law mandate full employment? Where does the government’s role in dictating our daily lives end? That’s the debate we should be having.”

Leaders in the LGBT community walked a petition into U.S. Rep. Robert Pittinger’s Charlotte office Thursday morning with 30,000 signatures on it.

Opponents say the LGBT community is not properly covered under current laws and it robs them of a sense of security.