By Jennifer Glickel
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Republican gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino apologized for the anti-gay comments he made Sunday that drew widespread crticism.
In a statement released Tuesday evening, Paladino said that he "should have chosen better words" and that he "sincerely apologize[s] for any comment that may have offended the Gay and Lesbian Community or their family members."
On Sunday, the candidate told a group of Orthodox Jewish leaders in Brooklyn that children shouldn't "be brainwashed into thinking that homosexuality is an equally valid or successful option," noting that "my children and your children will be much better off and much more successful getting married and raising a family."
But Paladino's statement Tuesday described him a a friend of the LGBT community.
"The portrayal of me as anti-gay is inconsistent with my lifelong beliefs and actions and my prior history as an [sic] father, employer and friend to many in the gay and lesbian community."
Paladino faced booing at Monday's Columbus Day parade from both attendees and politicians alike.
"I think [the remarks] were reckless in light of all the recent violence that we’ve had," Paladino's Democratic challenger, Andrew Cuomo, said prior the parade. "They were divisive. They were the worst cynical politics trying to pit people against one another."
