In an interview with Charleston Gazette-Mail on Friday morning, Porterfield proclaimed that “The LGBTQ is a modern day version of the Ku Klux Klan, without wearing hoods with their antics of hate.” While he was at it, he decided to label the queer community as a “terrorist group.”

Surprising absolutely no one, he also asserted that he is “persecuted” by the queer community because of his comments.

Speaking to NBC News, Porterfield continued his barrage against the queer community, asserting, "The LGBTQ — not homosexuals, but the LGBTQ — is the closest thing to political terrorism in America.” How does he differentiate “homosexuals” and the LGBTQ community? “The LGBTQ — not homosexuals — are the modern day version of the Ku Klux Klan. They are socialist in nature, they exercise economic extortion, they terrorize and frighten people such as myself, even with a severe disability, with threats and intimidation.”

At one point, Porterfield used alt-right poster child Milo Yiannopoulos as an example of a persecuted “homosexual.” And in an interview with West Virginia NBC affiliate WVVA, he asserts that the LGBTQ community is the “closest thing to political terrorism” in the country. He also calls LGBTQ people a “blight” on this country, which is bold for someone wearing a MAGA hat.

Perhaps even more disturbingly, when asked by the host about how he would react if one of his children came out as queer, he stated that he would take a lesbian daughter out for a manicure or pedicure, then “see if she can swim.” For a gay son, he’d take him fishing or hunting, and then, again, “see if he can swim.”

Is this a reference to … violence? Drowning them? It’s unclear. He attempted to clarify by saying, "I'd just want to see if they could swim ... I'd take them out to do activities.” Hmm.

Belinda Biafore, the state Democratic Party chairwoman, called for Porterfield’s resignation in a news release. Republicans from the state also criticized him, which is at least something. Delegate Daniel Linville of Cabell, for example, told the Charleston Gazette-Mail, "He's wrong, very wrong. There's just no excuse though for some of the things that he said." The “some” qualifier here is still a head-scratcher, but the sentiment is better than nothing.

Melody Potter, the state’s GOP chairwoman, didn’t call for him to resign, but did call his comments unacceptable, saying, “Delegate Eric Porterfield has made comments that are hateful, hurtful, and do not reflect the values of our country, our state, and the Republican Party. These comments are unacceptable and we denounce them. They have no place in America."

She’s right about one thing: His comments have no place in America. But with Trump in office, they and others just like them are cropping up at every turn.