NH State Rep Who Started 'The Red Pill' Reddit Site Resigns

CONCORD, NH — A New Hampshire state representative who came under fire last month for founding a Reddit community site nearly a decade ago that promoted men’s rights and “sexual strategy,” has resigned. State Rep. Robert Fisher, R-Laconia, tendered his resignation today, according to House Speaker Shawn Jasper, R-Hudson. Jasper informed media outlets on May 17, 2017, that Fisher submitted his resignation to the House Clerk after a Legislative Administration Committee voted to take no action against him or state Rep. Sherry Frost, D-Dover, who has also been roundly criticized for behavior unbecoming of a House member.

“It is unfortunate that the debate surrounding his actions while serving in the House have detracted from the good things that we have accomplished this session,” Jasper noted. “But I welcome his resignation for the good of the institution and I hope that we can now move forward with our important legislative agenda.”

Ray Buckley, the head of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, said he was “relieved” to hear that Fisher had resigned.

“His resignation is an admission of guilt that House Republicans unfortunately refused to acknowledge in today's Legislative Administration Committee decision to take ‘no action,’” he stated. “Hopefully, his resignation will make it clear to those defending his actions that misogyny and degradation of women is not acceptable in New Hampshire."

Fisher was outed as the creator of the online community site on Reddit by The Daily Beast. At the time, it had more than 200,000 subscribers. Activists used the comments as a way to mount attacks against Republicans for a so-called "rape culture" at the Statehouse but it was later revealed that Fisher was an active Democrat at the time he created the site. He ran unsuccessfully for the same office, as a Democrat, in 2012.

On the site, Fisher wrote disparaging remarks about women that many stated came close to promoting sexual assault and violence against women. According to press reports, he confirmed that he wrote some of the comments in 2008, after a bad breakup, but added that they were taken out-of-context. He also condemned acts of violence against women, according to reports. Numerous politicians, however, including Gov. Chris Sununu, R-NH, called on Fisher to resign but he refused.

A social media and letter writing campaign by a number of activists including those involved in combating domestic abuse and violence in the state led the House to approve a Legislative Administration Committee panel to investigate the claims against Fisher as well as Frost, who critics claimed had also offered conduct unbecoming of a state representative, including humiliating witnesses on Twitter while they were testifying, launching f-bombs, and writing that her male colleagues were making her “homicidal,” which was perceived, to some, as a threat of violence against Republican men who are members of the House.

After days of hearings about both representatives – including one that was laced with profanity, with Frost reportedly refusing to offer testimony under oath – the committee decided to take no action. Less than two hours later, Fisher resigned.

While Fisher has resigned, Frost, an adjunct professor at UNH, has not, despite some in her district calling on her to resign. On Twitter, she Retweeted claims by activists that Fisher had lied during his testimony.

“Apparently, the very real threat of perjury charges was what did it,” she noted.