Calling his behavior "disgusting" and "dehumanizing," a progressive advocacy group is calling for the resignation of a Grosse Pointe Shores councilman over sexual memes he has posted on Facebook, including one that jokes about a man inappropriately touching a woman.

Councilman Matthew Seely posted that meme on Monday in an apparent jab at the woman who claims U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a high school party decades ago. The meme shows a woman consoling another woman with the text reading:

“I’M SO SORRY THAT BAD MAN TOUCHED YOU INAPPROPRIATELY. LET'S WAIT 30 OR 40 YEARS ... UNTIL HE RUNS FOR OFFICE ... AGAINST A DEMOCRAT!"

The public advocacy group Progress Michigan blasted Seely over the meme — noting it has found several other similar memes by Seely — and has called for his resignation. On Wednesday, it also urged Michigan Republicans to "denounce and reprimand" Seely for "posting memes joking about sexual assault and objectifying women."

But Seely has no plans to resign, saying he has done nothing wrong and that he’s only trying to “provoke thought and debate” about the firestorm of controversy swirling around Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination.

“This circus that’s going on with Judge Kavanaugh is really a sad testimony of where we have gone politically and it needs to be addressed,” Seely told the Free Press on Wednesday, stressing he’s not making fun of sexual assault victims as his critics have claimed.

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“To say that I think it’s funny is more than a misrepresentation, it’s an outright lie and I’ve never indicated anything to the contrary.”

Grosse Pointe Shores Mayor Thaddeus Kedzierski had this to say about the controversy:

"Certainly, we treat issues of sexual assault very seriously. I do believe (Seely) was apologetic of how this was read by some members of the public and he didn’t intend to offend anyone or cause any harm. " Kedzierski said.

Progress Michigan disagrees, saying Seely's meme "is an attack on survivors" and makes fun of sex assault and rape. Moreover, the group stresses, it's not Seely's first offensive meme to women. In March, he posted a meme featuring a closeup of a woman's breasts in a tight tank top that read "Make America Great Again" while a sad-looking Bernie supporter looked on.

In another Facebook post, Seely posted a meme of a woman with a gun tucked down her pants. It reads: "THE BULGE IN A CONSERVATIVE GIRLS PANTS IS A GUN. THE BULGE IN A LIBERAL GIRLS PANTS IS A PENIS."

“This type of behavior cannot be tolerated by a public official. It’s disgusting, dehumanizing, and it makes light of sexual assault and rape," Progress Michigan Executive Director Lonnie Scott said, referring specifically to the Kavanaugh-related meme. “Sexual violence is a real problem in this country and we need to have public officials who recognize that, not make fun of it for political purposes. It’s disturbing that there are people and online communities who tolerate this type of behavior, but we cannot allow it to be present in our city governments.”

Seely posted the controversial memes to the “Michigan Trump Republicans” Facebook group and to “The Deplorables” Facebook page.

Progress Michigan alleges that Seely “has a habit of posting memes that objectify women" and make light of sexual assault.

Seely says that's not true.

“My feeling is (that) sexual assault and rape are absolutely the most serious charges that one human being can face, they are so serious that we can’t tolerate for the purpose of political agenda,” Seely said. “It’s pretty obvious to me that all of this is stopping Judge Kavanaugh from being placed on the Supreme Court. It diminishes legitimate victims, and I think it’s terrible.”

As for stepping down, Seely said: "There's no misconduct on my part. ... I think it’s a silly idea. I haven’t done anything at all to disrespect the role that I’ve been elected to. I think I’ve been a good councilman. I've been reliable. ... This political poison that’s going on is insane."

Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @Tbaldas