Tallahassee, FL – After meeting with Equality Florida, Representative Dennis Baxley has issued a public statement reflecting on his recent comments that compared homosexuality to alcoholism:

“Please let me thank Equality Florida leadership for coming to visit with me concerning the remarks in the K-12 Education Committee discussion. I am very sorry anyone was offended. It certainly is not my desire to disparage anyone. The context on the open discussion which turned to “parental involvement” was to recount a teacher’s challenges expressed to me and to express my encouragement to teachers who often provide the stabilizing place for many students who come to school with many life challenges. It is tough for teachers to be accountable for learning gains, but we are showing children can learn no matter their life situations. We all need to thank a teacher.”