A group of gay and lesbian Florida high school students looking for legislative sponsors for an anti-discrimination law instead got an anti-gay lecture from one state representative.

"I don't understand why the gay population is becoming so vocal," state Rep. Allen Trovillion, 74, told the students after he listened to their request for support of the Florida Dignity for All Students Act, according to a report in the Tampa Tribune. "You are going to cause the downfall of this country."

The legislator, who represents the suburbs of Orlando, told gay students visiting the state capital as part of Equality Florida Youth Lobby Day that they were throwing their lives away and that God would destroy them. Ann-Marie Manchise, a University of South Florida journalism student, reported the legislator's comments in the Tribune.

According to Manchise's report, Trovillion's comments left at least one student, 17-year-old Chris Vasquez, in tears. "The Florida Legislature says we're going to hell," Vasquez said. "The part that really bothers me is the fact that he's one of the people we're supposed to look up to for moral guidance and support," he added. "[Trovillion is] spouting ... ideas that only make the world more dangerous for gay youth."

In his comments to the students, Trovillion also quoted scripture and said, "God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, and he is going to destroy you and a lot of others," Manchise reported.

The students had better luck with other legislators and hope to introduce the bill, which would add sexual orientation and gender identity to state non-discrimination laws, to the Legislature early next year.

Posted April 10, 2001