SALON

Monday, Oct 11, 2010 3:30 AM UTC

Carl Paladino goes after gays

"I don't want them brainwashed into thinking homosexuality is an equally valid and successful option. It isn't"

By

Topics: 2010 Elections, War Room,

Carl Paladino goes after gaysCarl Paladino addressing Orthodox Jewish leaders on Sunday

If you were wondering what Carl Paladino’s next unhinged moment would be after his recent near-fistfight with a New York Post reporter, the suspense is over. In a speech to Orthodox Jewish leaders in Brooklyn on Sunday, the Republican candidate for governor of New York issued what amounted to an indictment of homosexuality, warning that children are at risk of being “brainwashed” into the lifestyle.

“I didn’t march in the gay pride parade this year,” Paladino, reading from prepared remarks, told his audience. “My opponent did. And that’s not the example that we should be showing our children, and certainly not in our schools.”

 He went on to say that, “I just think my children and your children would be better off and much more successful getting married and raising a family. And I don’t want them to be brainwashed into thinking that homosexuality is an equally valid or successful option. It isn’t.”

Curiously, the 64-year-old Paladino, who fathered three children with his wife and a fourth with a mistress, also insisted that his approach to life is to “live and let live” and that it would be a “dastardly lie” to suggest that he wants to  hurt gay people in any way. It’s possible this line was inserted into remarks in response to the news that a man in the Bronx was kidnapped and tortured by a gang because of his sexuality and to the recent wave of gay teen suicides, which have  raised concerns about the impact of anti-gay rhetoric. According to one report, Paladino’s original remarks included a line that read, “There is nothing to be proud of in being a dysfunctional homosexual.”

Paladino’s chances of victory against Democrat Andrew Cuomo remain slim. After polls suggested considerable volatility in the wake of Paladino’s surprising win in the September 14 GOP primary, Cuomo’s lead seems to have stabilized in the 15-20 point range. And while New York has plenty of culturally conservative voters, polls have found that a majority of residents favor gay marriage; so it’s doubtful Paladino’s outburst will win him many new fans. Full video of his remarks, courtesy of WNYC’s Azi Paybarah, is below:

 

Steve Kornacki

Steve Kornacki writes about politics for Salon. Reach him by email at SKornacki@salon.com and follow him on Twitter @SteveKornacki More Steve Kornacki.

Next Article

Related Stories

More Related Stories

Featured Slide Shows

The week in 10 pics

close X
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11
  • Lisa Montgomery embraces her nephew Thursday after a tornado tore apart her home in Cleburne, Texas. The twister killed six people and destroyed entire swaths of the North Texas town.
    Credit: AP/LM Otero

  • Jack McMahon, the defense attorney for abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell, speaks outside the Criminal Justice Center in Philadelphia Tuesday. His client was convicted of killing three babies in his clinic, and will serve multiple life sentences.
    Credit: AP/Matt Rourke

  • A photo taken Monday captures Vice President Joe Biden's response to a Milwaukee second-grader's innovative proposal to end America's epidemic of gun violence. This guy!
    Credit: AP/Jenny Aicher

  • Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., flanked by a grouper-eyed Michele Bachmann, addresses the IRS' admission that it targeted Tea Party groups in advance of the 2012 election. In an op-ed for CNN Thursday, the Kentucky senator slammed the president for his faux outrage.
    Credit: AP/Molly Riley

  • Ousted IRS chief Steven Miller is sworn in on Capitol Hill Friday. Miller testified before the House Ways and Means Committee on the extra scrutiny the agency gave conservative groups applying for tax-exempt status.
    Credit: AP/J. Scott Applewhite

  • Attorney General Eric Holder pauses as he testifies on Capitol Hill before the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday. Holder is under fire, among other things, for the Justice Department's gathering of phone records at the Associated Press.
    Credit: AP/Carolyn Kaster

  • O.J. Simpson sits during an evidentiary hearing at Clark County District Court in Las Vegas, Nev., Thursday. Simpson, who is currently serving a nine-to-33-year sentence in state prison for armed robbery and kidnapping, is using a writ of habeas corpus to seek a new trial.
    Credit: AP/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Jeff Scheid

  • Major Tom to ground control: On Sunday astronaut Chris Hadfield recorded the first music video from space, a cover of David Bowie's "Space Oddity."
    Credit: AP/NASA/Chris Hadfield

  • When it rains it pours. President Barack Obama speaks during a news conference Thursday with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, inexplicably inspiring an #umbrellagate Twitter meme.
    Credit: AP/Jacquelyn Martin

  • A smoke plume rises high above a road block at the intersection of County A and Ross Road east of Solon Springs, Wis., Tuesday. No injuries were reported, but the the wildfire caused evacuations across northwestern Wisconsin.
    Credit: AP/The Duluth News-Tribune/Clint Austin

  • Recent Slide Shows

  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11

Related Videos

Comments

 79 Comments

Comment Preview

Your name will appear as username

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href=""> <b> <em> <strong> <i> <blockquote>

follow salon

Most Read

Popular on Reddit

links from salon.com

From Around the Web

Presented by Scribol
listener_new_rect The Listener: Chekhov's story mirrors Russia's own

Recommendations