NYC Speaker Christine Quinn Says(Homophobe) Carl Paladino 'Hurt People'

PUBLISHED: OCTOBER 12, 2010

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn on Monday blasted GOP gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino's anti-gay remarks.

Quinn, who is openly lesbian, told MSNBC's Contessa Brewer that 

Paladino had “hurt people” when he told a group of Orthodox Jewish

 leaders in Brooklyn that his opposition to gay marriage stems from 

not wanting children “brainwashed into thinking that homosexuality” is acceptable.

Such speech, Quinn said, could be directly linked to hate crimes.

“The thing about a hate crime – it isn't targeted necessarily at that 

individual personally. It's targeted at the community that the perpetrator

 believes or knows that person is a member of,” she said. “So the crime

 is designed to send out a ripple of hate to everybody in that

 community – that's why it's such a cancer in our society.”

“Mr. Paladino's statements are dangerous,” she added. “He can say

 he doesn't want to hurt people, but he hurt people. He hurt people by 

saying that people like me were brainwashed, or [are] brainwashers, 

by saying that my family is less good than anybody else's family? He 

can pretend it has no impact, but it has an impact even if you're an adult 

and it certainly has an impact if you're a child.”

BY ON TOP MAGAZINE STAFF