…and how it’s being reported.

Carl Paladino, GOP candidate for the New York governor’s office, strongly defends traditional marriage and opposes what he believes is ‘indoctrination’ of young children through current sex education programs in the schools. He is being blasted as homophobic, among other things.

The reporting on this delicate and inflammatory subject has been colorful and carefully worded, at the expense of accuracy sometimes.

New York’s Republican gubernatorial hopeful, Carl Paladino, insisted Monday he was not “homophobic” and would hire gay people into his administration, but he said children should not be exposed to gay people and described gay-pride marches as “disgusting” events involving scantily clad adults grinding against each other.

He did not say children should not be exposed to gay people. He said children should not be exposed to some of the behavior he describes in certain public displays by gay rights activists.

Big media have helped fan the flames of hostility already mounting in political ads, and most unfortunately, particular recent crimes against homosexuals, in the way some have presented Paladino’s remarks. And the candidate has been trying to distance his remarks and his views from the perception of hostility or bigotry.

Paladino also said his remark Sunday about gays not having an “equally valid” life did not represent a discriminatory view. Nor, said Paladino, did he fear that his comments could fuel anti-gay incidents. He said he was merely expressing views that reflected his Catholic upbringing.

In the interest of fair reporting, let’s note that the quoted words were “equally valid” but the next work Paladino actually said was “lifestyle”, which is a very different thought than declaring certain people as not having an equally valid life.

The bishops have been addressing these social moral issues with clarifications of what the church really teaches about human dignity and human rights.