A lawyer in the US state of Virginia is facing “immediate and severe” action after sending a company-wide email calling AIDS the “gay plague”.

Walter Kubitz, a senior lawyer at Becker and Poliakoff, sent the email to the full firm of over 170 lawyers, to express his disgust at the fact that Florida’s same-sex marriage ban was found last month to be unconstitutional.

He said he did not think there was a “shred of historical evidence that [Florida’s Constitution] … was ever intended to legitimize homosexuality.”

Continuing on his tirade, he says “the gay plague of AIDS”, is a good example of the “reckless trashing of morality.”

The firm says it has taken “immediate and severe” action over the email, and responded to it to say that it was “reprehensible,” and “inappropriate and would not be tolerated.”

Kubitz’s email is available in full below.