After Republican gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino made a series of anti-gay remarks yesterday, Andrew Cuomo, his Democratic opponent, has decried the speech as "offensive" and some supporters have begun to distance themselves from Paladino.

While speaking before a group of Orthodox rabbis in Brooklyn, Paladino said standing up for gay rights is not the right message to send to kids.

During the Columbus Day parade in Manhattan today, Paladino was asked about his comments over the weekend. He responded by saying he is"unequivocally pro-gay rights, except for one thing, gay marriage."

Cuomo said earlier today that "[the comments] were reckless in light of all the recent violence that we've had. They were divisive. They were the worst cynical politics trying to pit people against one another."

News 12 HV Vote 2010: Complete CoverageNY GOP gov hopeful Paladino says he'd hire gays