New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind
on Wednesday voted against a gay marriage bill, but said pop singer
Lady Gaga nearly convinced him to switch sides.
The Brooklyn Democrat raised a photo of
the Born this Way singer and sarcastically told lawmakers
debating the issue: “And one of the things I love, I gotta tell
you. I came close to maybe changing my point of view when I started
looking at all the celebrities who were telling New Yorkers what the
moral, what the right thing was. And none other, I came close, Lady
Gaga. When Lady Gaga got involved and told us this, you know we
should support gay marriage, I said, you know, Lady Gaga? You know
she is my example of how I should lead my life and how I should
behave. Came close, but I didn’t quite do it.” (The video is
embedded in the right panel of this page.)
Later, Hikind waved a copy of the
Hebrew Bible and said, “You want to tell God he doesn't know what
he's talking about?”
Lady Gaga is an outspoken supporter of
gay rights, but the 25-year-old singer hasn't been as visible on gay
marriage in New York as on repeal of “Don't Ask, Don't Tell,” the
1993 law that bars gay and bisexual troops from serving openly.
(Related: Lady
Gaga targeted state Senator Mark Grisanti's opposition to gay
marriage.)