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Cape Cod Commissioner Under Fire for Social Media Post on Gay Politicians

Barnstable County Commissioner Ron Beaty asked in Twitter poll if gay politicians are "too self-absorbed and self-centered" to represent their constituents fairly

A Cape Cod politician is in hot water for a series of controversial tweets, in which one of his posts about gay politicians sparked backlash online.

Barnstable County Commissioner Ron Beaty asked in one Twitter poll, "Generally speaking, are gay politicians too self-absorbed and self-centered to adequately represent ALL of their constituents in a fair and equitable manner?"

Several Twitter users hit back at the poll by reversing the question against Beaty. One user even brought up his federal prison sentencing for threatening former President George H.W. Bush.

Beaty’s poll comes a week after two openly gay elected officials from Cape Cod -- State Rep. Sarah Peake, D-Provincetown and State Sen. Julian Cyr, D-Truro -- were picked for Beacon Hill leadership roles.

The Cape Cod Times reports Peake did not want to "dignify Mr. Beaty’s statement with a response."

Cyr, who is on vacation from the office, could not be reached for a comment.

Rep. Timothy Whelan, R-Brewster, told the Cape Cod Times he was calling for Beaty to resign. Whelan’s office did not offer comment to NBC10 Boston.

Beaty, who is not one to conceal his thoughts online, previously faced backlash for his snide comments on gun violence activist David Hogg and the #MeToo movement. He has also made headlines for pushing a plan to kill great white sharks that come too close to Cape Cod beaches.

In another tweet, Beaty defended his posts, citing the First Amendment and arguing that he hopes others "will speak their minds in an equally candid fashion" as he did.

"Since I have done nothing wrong, then I have absolutely nothing to apologize for, and most assuredly will not consider resigning from my position as Barnstable County Commissioner," he wrote.

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