A Flordia politician has ignited criticism in his response to the idea that gay people should be legally executed in America.
Florida state Rep. Mike Hill (R) made the comments during a forum held by the group Women for Responsible Legislation. Audio of Hill making the remarks surfaced online over the weekend, bringing with it immediate backlash.
The conversation starts with a constituent asking Hill why one of his Republican colleagues sponsored an LGBTQ rights bill in the state legislature.
“Thank goodness that legislation didn’t go anywhere,” Hill says. He goes on to claim being gay is a choice, and unworthy of protections in the Civil Rights Act, like those for race and gender. “My fundamental problem with that is someone’s sexual orientation or ‘proclivity’ to want to do something…that is your business. And it’s a choice. You say ‘I was born that way.’ Fine. Nobody’s forcing you to engage in that relationship, even if you were born that way….What you do is a behavior and a choice that you have, as opposed to you can’t help your sex, your race, your nationality.”
Related: Pastor Wants Girl Scout Leaders Executed For Being Pro-Gay
Then a man in the crowd asks about legislation to fulfill the Biblical “prescription” to put gay people to death. Hill laughs and quips: “I wonder how that would go over.”
Queer grassroots activists have already spoken out against Hill and called for his resignation. “This kind of thing shouldn’t be happening today and it really hits home when it happens in your home because this area is my home – and it has been for the past 14 years. It’s disturbing to think attitudes like this exists,” said Brian Heike, an activist with the group Gay Grassroots.
Hill claims people have taken his words out of context, and that he does not promote discrimination or the execution of queer people. “It’s an absurd statement. This is not Saudi Arabia, this is America and no one advocates that gays ought to be executed,” Hill told the local ABC News affiliate. He also has refused to resign.
Audio of Hill’s full homophobic remarks continues to circulate around the internet. You can listen for yourself here.
For our part, it doesn’t sound like he was taken at all out of context.
Cam
Republicans are bigots anybody surprised?
And a decade or so ago, somebody commenting LGBT people should be put to death would have been met with horror and they would have been kicked out of the room. Now it’s apparently the standard and the Republican politician was right there with it.
Jared MacBride
You’d think an African American whose college education was funded by the taxpayers would have a bit more empathy for people who experience legalized discrimination.
davidjohng
You’d think so, wouldn’t you? A black Republican who is ok with oppressing another group as long as it’s not his group. That’s the narrow mentality of Republicans.
Chrisk
You’re right David. Most Republicans are textbook selfish. They just have no way of relating or caring for others needs outside their own. In a way this makes sense.
winemaker
This idiot needs to go back to school. Being gay like being straight isn’t a choice or lifestyle but a life. People are either born gay or straight. Really who in their right mind would choose a ‘lifestyle’ that opens them to being assaulted or killed, legally being discriminated in housing and employment and government benefits. This guy’s a complete fool, and waste of time. ‘Nuff said move on.
Jared MacBride
@Winemaker – people are not “either born gay or straight.” There’s bisexuals aplenty out there.
Chrisk
Love it that he’s a black republican. Fact is that most Republicans hate blacks. Never seen one that doesn’t yet. It’s practically in their platform. Of coarse to uncle tom dipshit here he thinks that as long as I hate the same people then I get to be one of them.
I have Republican family and acquaintances that I’ve cut off because they can’t talk about black people as even human. Then you have uncle tom here calling these same people his buddies showing the same damn hate.
I hate guys like this even more then then the white pride Nazi’s. The hateful ignorance is breathtaking.
[email protected]
Mr Hill your statement “My fundamental problem with that is someone’s sexual orientation or ‘proclivity’ to want to do something…that is your business. And it’s a choice. You say ‘I was born that way.’ Fine. Nobody’s forcing you to engage in that relationship
As someone in office i see you forgot about LIFE LIBERTY AND PERSUIT OF HAPPINESS
THAT IS ALL WE WANT
We dont want to jump in your bed in your marriage we want to live our life. To feel safe in our jobs homes and love who we feel like
Beachman
I think being African American and Republican (in Florida no less) is like basically admitting that you hate yourself. How transparent and sad…..
Chrisk
Just listened to the audio. You can tell he’s talking to old people. Secondly since were talking about bible solutions how about the advice on treating slaves. Lots of stuff there. Tells you how much you can whip them, sell them, etc. Love to know the uncle toms opinion on that. I’ll bet most of those people listening would be a-ok with bringing that back as well.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Hey smcubag! Our being Gay is no more of a choice than your being Black……
And it’s obvious that you learned nothing from the hundreds of Blacks lynched simply for being Black.
Emmet Till looks down at you in disgust….
Rex Huskey
shut up fool
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Rex Husky: gargle with rusty razor blades you pathetic loser noxious abhorrent troll…
darklight413
Being a black republican is like being a nazi Jew. WTF?? Does he think republicans will take him seriously and hate him less if he hates the same people? Spoiler alert! They won’t. No one forces him to act like an ass even if he were “born that way”.
Kangol2
He’s the textbook example of a colonized mind. There are far too many out there. He thinks attaching his sails to the racist, homophobic, misogynistic GOP party and attack gay people is going to make him special and except him from their hate, but all he ends up with is looking like a self-hating moron doing their bidding and then like a whiney chump who can’t even own up to it. Pathetic and disgusting, but not at all surprising.
ShiningSex
VOTE THESE IDIOTS OUT OF OFFICE INCLUDING THE ORANGE MAGGOT IN THE WHITE HOUSE. NO ROOM FOR IGNORANCE.
KerryB
What gets me is why would he CHOOSE to be black?
Rex Huskey
love it!!!
MISTERJETT
republican!!! big surprise.
one more thing
what an asshole…..
montegutdude
The insult here is that Rep. Hill clearly understands orientation is not behavior. He says so himself: “even if you were born that way….”what you do is a behavior.” Great. What’s the problem, then? We agree. Of course sex is a choice but we would argue that orientation is not. Both a celibate gay priest or a young gay teenager who are not engaged in sex acts are both still gay. ‘Being’ gay isn’t some proclivity. ‘Being’ gay is an innate state of being irrespective of any sex act. A person is no more made gay by engaging in gay sex than a person is made heterosexual by engaging in heterosexual sex.
James
He could always kill himself and then he would not have to live in the real world.
radiooutmike
Ick.
Yes, we all spend our time making our lives more difficult before we come out. We force ourselves to hate ourselves. We encourage our parents and sibling to berate us. We ask that society singles us out on the merest hint of being the other.
We make ourselves 8 to 13 times more vulnerable to attempting suicide. We asked to be bullied, pushed, spat on or have our shoes stolen.