Maddow: Anti-gay ‘culture war’ campaigns used by Tea Party’s DeMint, Paladino, Angle, O’Donnell, others [video]
”We must stop pandering to the pornographers and the perverts who seek to target our children and destroy their lives.
”I did not march in a gay parade this year — a gay pride parade this year. My opponent did. And that’s not the example we should be showing our children, and certainly not in our schools. And don’t misquote me as wanting to hurt homosexual people in any way. That would be a dastardly lie. My approach is live and let live.
”I just think my children, and your children would be much 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.”
From Carl Paladino‘s horrible speech given to a group of Orthodox Jewish men in New York City. Paladino’s odd reading for a media event seems to have blown up in his face as it has led to resoundingly negative feedback and at least on protest. The Jewish Week has reported that the speech was originally written by an anti-gay rabbi, Yehuda Levin. Paladino is the Republican candidate running for Governor of New York state, and his Democratic opponent is Andrew Cuomo. New York City has a seen a rash of attacks on gay men plus the widely publicized suicide of Tyler Clementi off the GW Bridge. (ABC News)
”Mr. Cuomo took his daughters to a Gay Pride Parade. Is that normal?… I don’t think it’s proper for them to go there and watch a couple of grown men grind against each other. I think it’s disgusting…. They wear these little Speedos and they grind against each other, and its just a terrible thing.”
NY gubenatorial candidate Carl Paladino on the NBC Today show expanding on his anti-gay remarks made earlier at an Orthodox Jewish synagogue. He began by saying that discrimination against homosexuals is a terrible thing and claiming that he had a nephew and worker that were gay. Then he blamed the press for not interpreting his remarks correctly. (NBC Today)
In a statement released to the press, Paladino claimed to be a friend to many in the gay and lesbian community, and that he supported civil agreements and equal rights for all citizens, except for that one where the gays think they should be able to get married. The New York Senate defeated a gay marriage bill in December of 2009, but the issue has remained a topic of political debates. (NY Daily News)
”Obviously, I’m very offended by his comments.”
Jeff Hannon, reported by the New York Post to be the gay nephew of Carl Paladino. (New York Post) The NY Daily News quotes Paladino as saying he has a problem believing that being gay is not a choice despite his nephew’s statement to the contrary. (NY Daily News)
DeMint said if someone is openly homosexual, they shouldn’t be teaching in the classroom and he holds the same position on an unmarried woman who’s sleeping with her boyfriend — she shouldn’t be in the classroom. ‘(When I said those things,) no one came to my defense,’ he said. ‘But everyone would come to me and whisper that I shouldn’t back down. They don’t want government purging their rights and their freedom to religion.’
Part of a news report about a speech given by Jim DeMint a conservative Republican Senator who apparently defends today his stated position in 2004 that gay people should not be allowed to teach in public schools. Later he included single, pregnant women who live with boyfriends; then sort of backed off by apologizing for some part of that statement. (GoUpstate.com)
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