WRENTHAM, Mass. (AP) – A state senator and father of a former American Idol finalist read profanity-laced criticism posted online about him and his family in a talk to high school students in his district about his opposition to gay marriage.

Sen. Scott Brown, R-Wrentham, defended his use of foul language during an assembly at King Philip Regional High School on Thursday by saying he was only repeating what had been written about him. The comments were posted on a Facebook.com page dedicated to a pro-gay rights history teacher at the school.

“I hate scott brown” and “scott brown ascends from the underworld,” were two of the tamer comments on the site, some of which contained profanities. The postings included a picture of Brown with devil’s horns, a devil’s tail and a pitchfork added.

Some comments were aimed at Brown’s daughter, Ayla Brown, a former American Idol finalist and scholarship basketball player at Boston College.

“If the kids can write it, the kids can hear it,” Brown said Friday.

Brown said he left the school Thursday feeling pleased that so many of the students seemed highly engaged in the discussion about divisive issues such as gay marriage.

“I felt really good about it. And now I find out I’m being portrayed as a vile-speaking hate-monger. It’s pretty saddening. I feel very badly that I’m being victimized here,” he said.

Phone calls by The Associated Press to the principal’s office at the high school were not returned.

Witnesses said Brown read the comments verbatim in front of about 80 sophomores, even naming the students who wrote them in some cases.

“He was doing it loudly and pretty angrily,” student Rachel William told WHDH-TV about Brown’s reading of the Facebook postings. “Some of the teachers tried to stop him, and said things like ‘You shouldn’t be naming students.’ “

Student Stephen Small said: “Some teachers immediately were outraged to hear the language that was used … some people still feel it was inappropriate to read them word for word.”

The mother of the student who created the site told the station she thought Brown acted inappropriately.