JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Florida Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll is not backing down from some serious accusations made by her former aide. Carletha Cole claims that she caught Carroll in a compromising position and may have been romantically involved with a female staffer.
Action News caught up with Carroll in Orange Park Saturday for the opening of a Mitt Romney campaign office. “Usually black women who look like me don't engage in relationships like that,” said Carroll.
The controversial comment is making headlines from coast to coast.
"It points out a lot of fallacies that there's still a lot of stigma and discrimination that LGBT people face,” said Natalie Nguyen.
Natalie Nguyen runs the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender resource center at the University of North Florida. She says the Lt. Governor’s comment is not only insulting, it's also damaging for the state of Florida.
“She's a leader and she's supposed to set an example,” said Nguyen.
At Saturday’s event, Carroll also pointed out that she's the one who has been married for 29 years and her accuser is the one who is single. Carroll said the claims are more than allegations, they are 'outright lies.' Nguyen says that comments like these just give more strength to stereotypes.
