New York Republican gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino told Orthodox Jewish leaders on Sunday that he doesn't want children "brainwashed into thinking that homosexuality" is acceptable.
Paladino made the comments while speaking with a group of conservatives at a synagogue in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn yesterday.
"There is nothing to be proud of in being a dysfunctional homosexual. That's not how god created us, and that's not the example that we should be showing our children," said Paladino.
The wealthy businessman spoke in forceful but hushed tones to the small Hasidic group, using his remarks as a way of chiding his opponent Andrew Cuomo.
Paladino said that his opponent marched in a gay pride parade this year but that he did not. Then moved to his comments about homosexuals.
He continued, "And I don't want them to be brainwashed into thinking that homosexuality is an equally valid and successful option. "It isn't."
Cuomo's and his campaign seemingly fell over themselves trying to quickly respond. Cuomo called the comments, "stunning homophobia and a glaring disregard for basic equality."
A campaign spokesman said, "These comments along with other views he has espoused make it clear that he is way out of the mainstream and is unfit to represent New York."
The remarks came in the wake of the death of a Rutgers University student who committed suicide after he was outed as being gay when a private sexual encounter was streamed online.
On Friday and Saturday, there were also the arrests of 8 members of the Latin King Goonies who beat, tortured, and sodomized victims in the Bronx because of their perceived sexual orientation.
Paladino attempted to clarify his remarks midway through his appearance saying that he hopes people, "Don't misquote me as wanting to hurt homosexual people in any way -- that would be a dastardly lie," he explained. "My approach is live and let live."
His campaign released a long statement attacking Cuomo's staff and the candidate himself for their remarks on Paladino. The statement read in part:
"First Andrew Cuomo's campaign called Carl Paladino anti-Semitic. Then they called him a racist, then anti-women and now a homophobe. Of course they don't correct themselves as they careen down their dirty campaign trail: Carl's made his comments about gay marriage at an event with supporters in the Orthodox Jewish community. May we now delete the first name Cuomo's camp called Carl, as the Orthodox Jewish community clearly doesn't think Carl's an anti-Semite?"
"Carl's position on gay marriage is exactly equivalent to that of the Catholic Church. If Andrew Cuomo has a problem with the Catholic Church's position on gay marriage, he needs to take that up with his parish priest - if they are still talking after Andrew's public support of partial birth abortion."
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