Despite his objections to gay marriage,
New York GOP gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino appears to be
surrounded by people who are pro-gay.
The latest to speak out is his wife of
40 years, Cathy, who suggested she's in favor of gay marriage in
an interview with the New
York Times.
“I have gay friends, and they're some
of the most generous, loving people you ever want to meet,” she
said. “If they want to live together and be together and share a
life, that's their business.”
The Tea Party favorite was lambasted
for telling a group of Othodox Jewish leaders that his opposition to
gay marriage stems from not wanting children “brainwashed into
thinking that homosexuality” is acceptable and hammered his
Democratic rival, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, 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.”
A key adviser to the Paladino campaign,
Roger
Stone, told POLITICO.com that he's a libertarian Republican and
supports marriage equality after racy photos of Stone at June's New
York gay pride parade surfaced on the Internet.
And Paladino's nephew, Jeff
Hannon, is gay and reportedly said he was “offended” by his
uncle's remarks.