Newspaper publisher says Paladino rented space to gay bar

Although you might not guess it from his controversial statements of the past few days, GOP gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino rented space to a gay bar in Buffalo and bought advertising in a local gay newspaper.

Tim Moran, publisher for 14 years of Outcome, Buffalo's gay monthly newspaper, told Newsday on Monday, quoted on the Spin Cycle site, that neither Paladino nor his companies have never contributed to or attended the city's annual gay pride parade nor other civic gay events.

But Paladino did in 2006 rent space in his Crosby building to a gay bar, Buddies II, Moran said. The establishment went under in 2007, Moran said. Paladino's real estate company, Ellicott Development, bought about $1,000 worth of advertising from Outcome in 2009. The ads were for apartments Paladino's outfit was trying to rent, Moran said.

And Wednesday, the Daily News added to the story that Paladino's son William ran Cobalt, another gay establishment - in space owned by one of Carl Paladino's entities.

From May 2004 through July 2006, William Paladino, co-owned a nightclub on Delaware Avenue in downtown Buffalo, the News reported, citing public records.

Moran, meanwhile, said Paladino is known to be "very nice to his gay employees" and surmised that he is calibrating his recent anti-gay remarks to serve a conservative audience.

"He thinks that everybody else is anti-gay so he thinks this is in the mainstream," Moran said. "I think he's doing it because he believes it will get him votes."

Moran continued: "He lives in a rarefied world and I don't think he reads very much about what's going on in the world. Carl's bombastic and people basically let him do what he wants. No one tells him no."

Moran also said Paladino has been spotted in a Buffalo lesbian bar. Buffalo comedian Kristen Becker tells that tale in a YouTube video (in which she recalls the story in very not-safe-for-work language).

Paladino has dialed back his remarks that kids shouldn't be "brainwashed" into thinking it's OK to be gay or be taken to a "disgusting" gay pride parade.