THE TELEGRAPH: The Republican candidate for the governor of New York state has been condemned by both conservatives and Democrats for saying that he did not want his children "brainwashed into thinking that homosexuality" was "an acceptable option".
Carl Paladino, a property developer-turned-politician, was accused of raising the risk of attacks on homosexual men after several recent anti-gay crimes in New York, including an assault at the Stonewall Inn in the West Village and a brutal anti-gay gang attack in the Bronx.
Mr Paladino, 64, who has received strong support from conservative Tea Party activists, made his initial comments at a Brooklyn synagogue.
He was trying to strike a contrast between himself and Andrew Cuomo, his Democratic rival, who once took his young daughters to a gay pride parade.
In a television interview yesterday, Mr Paladino said that he did not discriminate against gays, and employed a gay nephew.
But he repeated his opposition to gay marriage and, referring to homosexuality, added: "That's not how God created us, and that's not the example that we should be showing our children."
He also said young children shouldn't be exposed to gay culture, and singled out pride parades. >>> Alex Spillius in Washington | Monoday, October 11, 2010
