Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
UPDATE: Watch Chris Christie Call Openly-Gay Lawmaker "Numbnuts" While Apologizing
By
Garth Johnston
Published Jan 30, 2012
Modified Jan 30, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Garth Johnston
Published Jan 30, 2012
Modified Jan 30, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Oh Christie, Christie, Christie. The New Jersey Governor today again tried to explain those comments last week in which he said that white Southerners should have been allowed to vote on civil rights gains for blacks in the 1960s. But while the big guy was talking he went and called an openly gay New Jersey Assemblyman "numbnuts." D'oh!
Basically, as you can see in the video above, Chris Christie gets why you are upset over his statements and assures you he didn't really think that a referendum on civil rights was possible at the time ("The political climate in the South didn’t give them the option to have a referendum back then...They wished they would have had the option, but the political climate did not permit it, meaning they would not win."). But he also takes offense in the way that his statements were focused on with laser-like precision by the media and his liberal opponents. Specifically, he called out Assemblyman Reed Gusciora for being a "numbnuts" when he released a statement last Thursday saying "Govs. Lester Maddox and George Wallace would have found allies in Chris Christie over efforts by the Justice Department to end segregation in the South."
While we wait for a response from Gusciora—we suspect it will have something to do with "numbnuts" being a name more suitable to the schoolyard than the statehouse—perhaps it will put you at ease to know that Christie says "he met this morning with leaders in the African-American community who, he said, understood his comments were not intended to be 'racially insensitive.'"
Update: Assemblyman Gusciora told us that numbnuts seemed like "Jersey talk" and that it seems like a "term of endearment" (at least, back in his high school days it was) so he's not taking Christie's remarks too seriously. However, he says, "Marriage equality is important," and believes if Southern governors had put black voting rights up for a vote during the civil rights movement, it would have been defeated. "Civil rights should not be a ballot issue. Legislators should vote their conscience."
Tagged
Chris Christie
civil rights
gay marriage
new jersey
numbnuts
reed gusciora
Garth Johnston
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Queens mother charged with murdering her son after failed suicide attempt, NYPD says
Sukken Wong, 62, allegedly stabbed her nonverbal son, Byran Wong, 25, to death.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Oct 23, 2026 at 8:01 a.m. ET
Your guide to voting in New York's 2026 elections for governor and Congress
A primer on the races for governor, attorney general and the congressional districts that could help determine control of the U.S. House.
By
Walter Wuthmann
,
Jon Campbell
and
Brigid Bergin
News
Your guide to voting in New York's 2026 elections for governor and Congress
A primer on the races for governor, attorney general and the congressional districts that could help determine control of the U.S. House.
By
Walter Wuthmann
,
Jon Campbell
and
Brigid Bergin
Forest Hills Stadium can keep its concerts under deal with neighbors
By
Ryan Kost
NYC Council to grill Mamdani officials on collapsed Hunts Point Produce Market deal
By
Elizabeth Kim
NYPD arrests 17-year-old in fatal Midtown subway platform shooting
By
Charles Lane
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .