New York Democratic gubernatorial
candidate Andrew Cuomo said Thursday that he'll legalize gay marriage
in the state, New York Daily News reported.
“I don't want to be the governor who
just proposes marriage equality,” Cuomo told attendees at the
Empire State Pride Agenda's Fall Dinner. “I don't want to be the
governor who lobbies for marriage equality. I don't want to be the
governor who fights for marriage equality. I want to be the governor
who signs the law that makes equality a reality in the state of New
York.”
The remarks come after Cuomo's rival,
Tea Party favorite Carl Paladino, created a firestorm of protest when
he told a group of Orthodox Jewish leaders that his opposition to gay
marriage stems from not wanting children “brainwashed into thinking
that homosexuality” is acceptable and hammered Cuomo, the
Democratic state attorney general, for taking his children to a gay
pride parade, which Paladino called “disgusting” and described as
“extreme people in bikini type outfits grinding at each other and
doing these gyrations.”
After an avalanche of criticism from
lawmakers, gay activists, and even his own party, Paladino relented
on Tuesday, saying he was sorry “for any comment that may have
offended the gay and lesbian community.”
“We are looking at an extreme
political agenda on the other side of the election,” Cuomo said,
“and you saw it this week with the LGBT community – but it's not
just the LGBT community.”
An effort to legalize gay marriage in
the Empire State died in the Senate last year after passage in the
Assembly.