Christine Quinn wants a Supreme apology. The openly gay New York City Council speaker skewered Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on Tuesday’s Hardball over his controversial remarks about homosexuality at an appearance at Princeton University. “The Justice should apologize.” Quinn told host Chris Matthews.
The conservative justice created a firestorm after a gay student asked about Scalia’s comparisons between anti-sodomy laws and legislation against murder and bestiality.
“I don’t think it’s necessary, but I think it’s effective,” said Scalia, adding that legislative bodies are allowed to prohibit what they believe is immoral. Scalia continued, “It’s a form of argument that I thought you would have known, which is called the ‘reduction to the absurd’…If we cannot have moral feelings against homosexuality, can we have it against murder? Can we have it against other things?”
Quinn was outraged.
“It’s offensive,” she said. “Sexual orientation is who we are as people… and to compare that even in a way you want to say was some philosophical exercise to a heinous, horrible crime of murder–it’s just wrong….Don’t compare me to a murderer because I’m a lesbian.” She gave Scalia some advice: “Treat other human beings, even if you disagree with them…in a respectful way. The justice was disrespectful to me and my family.” Scalia’s remarks come just days after the Supreme Court decided to hear its first cases about same-sex marriage. msnbc political analyst Joy Reid said Scalia’s remarks are an example of “his own personal opinions about homosexuality coming forward.” And the problem with that, she said, is that it’s “not the court’s job. The state and the country have a compelling interest in preventing murder, right? So we can pass laws and the court can uphold them because that a compelling interest. Is there a compelling interest to stop people from getting married? That’s the problem he’s gonna have.”Recommended
