paladinoThis morning, New York gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino is defending anti-gay-marriage comments he made on Sunday while addressing a group of Orthodox Jewish leaders at a campaign stop in Brooklyn. In his prepared speech, Paladino indicated that children must be protected from homosexuality, when he told the group, “I don’t want them to be brainwashed into thinking that homosexual activity is an equally valid or successful option. It isn’t.”

In today’s Good Morning America appearance, Paladino defended his opinion, stating that he is not homophobic and has “no reservations whatsoever about gays—except for marriage.”

When pressed by anchor George Stephanopoulos about his beliefs as to whether or not he believes homosexuality is a choice, Paladino said he has “had difficulty with that.”