Demands for comedian Bill Cosby to become the first person stripped of the presidential medal of freedom, America’s highest civilian honour, are said to be gathering momentum in Congress.

The medal was established more than half a century ago and no mechanism for revoking it currently exists. But the sex abuse allegations against Cosby have spurred Arizona congressman Paul Gosar to draft legislation that would give the president that power.

“The president alerted us that he did not have a mechanism so we’re providing that mechanism,” Gosar said on Thursday. “We’ve got a number of co-sponsors already. This is specifically for Bill Cosby in this regard but also sets the precedent and standard with which to do it and for the president to revoke it.”

Last week, Cosby appeared in court for charges of sexual misconduct in an incident in which he allegedly drugged and violated a woman who considered him her mentor. But while that charge is yet to be tested, Gosar cites a 2005 sworn deposition, released last July, in which Cosby admitted to obtaining quaaludes with the intent of giving them to women he wanted to have sex with.

“It’s an important step, a step that’s rightfully there based on his own admission,” the congressman added. “Under his own words, in a sworn deposition, he admitted to giving quaaludes for this very purpose. The justice system will take care of the accusations. However, under his own words this is not something that can be tolerated for the highest medal for a civilian because those actions transcend this award.”

Gosar, a Republican, said he is now seeking co-sponsors to bring a bill to the floor of the House and is hoping for support in the Senate, where Democrats Kirsten Gillibrand and Claire McCaskill have already called for Cosby’s honour to be revoked.

The effort is supported by Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment (Pave), a non-government organisation that works to prevent sexual assault and help survivors, which launched a petition after Cosby’s sworn deposition was made public.

Angela Rose, executive director of Pave, said: “This is not just any medal or any award. This not just a star on the Hollywood walk of fame. This is a statement from the nation that this man reflects our nation’s highest standards of character and excellence. And, in the case of Mr Cosby, that statement is wrong.”

Support for the move is growing on both sides of the political divide, she added.

“This is a bipartisan issue. We are getting a lot of traction. I think today was a great first step in the right direction. It is unprecedented. It’s never been done before. This is a time in our nation’s history where the tides are changing. Sexual assault is now becoming something that people can talk about more, yet survivors are still met with shame and disbelief and the threats and bullying and harassment, and it’s time that we believed survivors.”

The White House describes the presidential medal of freedom as “the nation’s highest civilian honour, presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavours”.

Winners of the medal last year included Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman elected to Congress; Katherine Johnson, a space pioneer; and entertainment giants Steven Spielberg, Barbra Streisand and Stephen Sondheim. Cosby received the honour in 2002.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has said Cosby’s star will not be removed from the Hollywood walk of fame. The Smithsonian Institution in Washington has also resisted calls to remove a temporary exhibition featuring his art collection at the National Museum of African Art. A sign at the exhibition entrance insists that “it is fundamentally about the artworks and the artists who created them, not Mr Cosby”.