A New York subway rider took matters into his own hands when an antigay preacher began harassing a lesbian couple and their child.
Rob Maiale told BuzzFeed LGBT that he was riding the M train into the city from Bushwick when a man he’d previously seen harassing passengers began preaching.
“Initially he was going on about fornication, okay fine. Then he started denouncing same sex relationships. It’s an unpopular opinion in New York and it irritated me a bit, but I understand 1st Amendment rights, and didn’t say anything.”
But when the preacher began directing his focus to the lesbians, asking how they planned to explain to their child that their sinful ways were dooming them to hell, Maiale decided he’d heard enough.
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To drown out the preacher, he burst into an uplifting rendition of “I’ve Got a Golden Ticket” from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, which a fellow passenger had the good sense to put on YouTube.
As for why he chose that particular song, Maiale said, “What the man was saying was so absurd and hateful that I figured the most disarming thing would be something equally absurd and joyful.”
“I myself [am] neither religious, nor gay, but if you want to live in this city, you need to learn how to be civil.”
Could it be the same preacher who got an earful of Lea DeLaria back in November?
Watch the video below.
Billy Budd
We live in a crazy world.
QJ201
I’m typically on the M train with Hasidic women who give me the fish eye or outright dirty looks.
jwtraveler
@QJ201: Tell them how much you like their hair.
jwtraveler
Good thing he as hunky, but how can you tell under the jacket?
corey
wish the vid included little bit of the “harrassing” of the lesbian couple with the child that i read took place, as it is, its just some guy singing on the subway and some man with an “African” accent going on about Sodom and the other place, at the very end. i dont even see the preacher in the video. am i missing something?
corey
@corey: ok i see the little man in front of the singer is the preacher, he looks like a little kid from behind.
My two cents
Singing a song from Willy Wonka was the first thing that came to mind as a way to address homophobia and harassment?
Ok.
stranded
meh.