A New Jersey state assemblyman says he takes responsibility for a Facebook posting with a homophobic reference during last night's game between the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers.
While bragging about the Giants, Assemblyman Charles Mainor, who is also an officer with the Jersey City Police Department, wrote "Who the hell do you think we are the DALLAS COWGIRLS OR THOSE GAYBIRDS FROM PHILLY....NO WE ARE THE NEW YORK GIANTS."
While he did apologize, Mainor said that he actually didn't write the "gaybirds" reference.
Instead, he said he wrote the posting up to the "Dallas Cowgirls," and then a friend asked for his smart phone and, according to Mainor, added the reference to the "Gaybirds from Philly."
"I have expressed my apology," Mainor told NBCNewYork.com. "I didn't do due diligence."
Mainor, who said he has family members who are gay, said he didn't do due diligence in checking what his friend wrote before the message was posted, "I called [my friend] this morning," Mainor said, telling the friend: "You don't realize the difficult position you put me in."
His apology was accepted by Steven Goldstein, the founder of Garden State Equality, the leading gay rights organization in New Jersey.
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"Assemblyman Mainor did the right thing by apologizing," said Goldstein.
He then added "He is a good and decent man who made a misstatement and he took care of it as soon as possible."
