Somehow what with the massive, destructive hurricane we missed this, but last week a right-wing upstate Rabbi named Noson Leiter decided to go on Voice of Christian Youth America program Crosstalk to spew some hate and blame Sandy on gay marriage coming to New York. Seriously. After all, "the Great Flood in the time of Noah was triggered by the recognition of same-gender marriages!" Another sign was the rainbow visible over the city after the storm. Seriously. This weekend ex-Governor Pataki slammed the "offensive" comments and today current Governor Cuomo came out and ripped Leiter a new one.
Here's what Leiter, who represents Torah Jews for Decency, said last Wednesday:
And here's what Cuomo, who helped bring marriage equality to the Empire State, had to say about that:
"The comments made by Rabbi Noson Leiter that sought to link the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy to our state's embrace of marriage equality are as offensive as they are ignorant. This catastrophic storm claimed the lives of more than forty New Yorkers. This kind of hateful rhetoric has no place in our public discourse, and is particularly distasteful in times of tragedy. Our state is proud to offer equal rights to all our citizens, and we will never tolerate the use of a tragedy like Hurricane Sandy to promote a divisive and bigoted agenda. I call on Rabbi Leiter to apologize immediately for his hurtful comments."
Oh Andy, we really do appreciate how much you've stuck to your guns on this one. Though really you could have just let this one slide. Haters gonna hate.
