Martin reportedly posted last week anonymously on a professional Facebook page in response to a parent seeking advice about their child. The response attributed to Martin said, "There was no such thing as a transgender" child.
The page moderator outed Martin as the poster of the anonymous comment. ABC11 has continued to reach out to Martin but has not heard back.
Shop Local Raleigh is a membership organization that promotes small businesses and also hosts large events such as Brewagloo and the Raleigh Christmas Parade, for which ABC11 is a media partner.
The furor has also stirred debate about free speech and online privacy rights.
Amanda Martin is the Supervising Attorney for Duke University's First Amendment Clinic. She said the Terms and Conditions may offer the moderator some legal protection.
"Someone who speaks anonymously does run the risk that they may not be able to maintain their anonymity," said Martin. "Probably one in a million people, even lawyers, don't necessarily read the agreement that they are making, but it's, it still can be a binding agreement."
The page moderator has retained an attorney -- who has not issued a statement on his client's behalf.
Adam Smith, a lawyer with Riddle and Riddle, said North Carolina does not have a set of laws protecting online privacy, and it's something everyone should be aware of.
"A lot of states are currently struggling with that. Washington state and Oregon just passed a couple laws. Europe has a very vigorous set of laws about these things," Smith said. "But North Carolina has not waded into that pool like some other states have. I think it's a huge cautionary tale for all of us."
The Shop Local Raleigh Board of Directors is looking into the incident and has said, in part, that the Facebook comment does not reflect the organization's culture.
Several small business owners told ABC11 on Tuesday that they're waiting to see what the board does before making any decisions on membership.