Gay marriage foe Rev. Jason McGuire has
demanded an apology from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo for painting
opponents of marriage equality as bigots.
Cuomo, who is credited with ensuring
the passage of a gay marriage bill earlier this summer, made his
remarks at an invitation-only panel last week sponsored by The New
York Times.
“Ultimately, there was no answer by
the opposition. There isn't! There really isn't. And as soon as
you ask the question, and you probe the answer, the only answer [by
those opposed to the gay marriage bill] is, 'I want to discriminate
against gay people.' And that is anti-New York, it's also
anti-American,” Cuomo said.
McGuire, who heads the conservative
group New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, strongly opposed the
bill.
“It is one thing to disagree on an
issue of public policy, but it is quite another to question the
patriotism of 150 million (or more) Americans,” McGuire said in a
statement.
In
an open letter to Cuomo, McGuire demanded an apology.
“It is not a bigoted statement to say
that children need a mother and a father. I contend that many of the
issues our state is struggling with can be traced back to absentee
fathers, a general lack of parental involvement and the breakdown of
the family: low graduation rates, out-of-wedlock births, runaway
welfare and Medicaid costs, even the spread of sexually-transmitted
diseases.”
“It is my prayer that one day you too
will come to realize that while supporting gay 'marriage' may have
been politically expedient at the time, it was ultimately harmful to
the Empire State and her citizenry.”
“Governor, you were elected to
represent all New Yorkers, but your recent comments attack half of
the state you lead and the nation you call home. Retract your
comments and apologize to millions of New Yorkers and other proud
Americans you have offended,” he added.