EDITORIAL: Keep moving toward gay equality

The cruelty of the young gang members in the Bronx who allegedly seized and tortured three gay men was horrifying in itself. But it was even more horrifying as a sequel to the tragic suicide last month of a Rutgers student, who leaped from the George Washington Bridge after his intimate encounter with a man was streamed - by a roommate, prosecutors said - over the Internet.

An important step in averting future such outrages is to uphold at every turn the rights of gay Americans to safety and equality. Doing so is especially important for elected leaders. Yet as if on cue, gubernatorial hopeful Carl Paladino chose the occasion to declare that he didn't want his children "brainwashed" into believing homosexuality was OK.

New Yorkers by now will not be surprised by the Republican nominee's insensitivity. Yet the timing of his latest outburst demonstrates that his cynicism is exceeded only by his poor judgment. He made his comments Sunday before a group of Hasidic rabbis - a crowd none too sympathetic to the cause of gay equality - and pronounced them while the entire region recoiled from the anti-gay episode in the Bronx.

But sometimes even the worst manifestations of human cruelty can serve as reminders of progress. New York City police, who once persecuted gay individuals, wasted no time investigating the crimes, and people everywhere are condemning the attacks - which in an earlier era might have been ignored. Equality for gay people is coming. Someday it may even get here. hN