One New York subway passenger decided to silence an anti-gay preacher on the M train with the power of song: a glorious rendition of "I've Got a Golden Ticket," to be exact.
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Another passenger who recorded the video wrote that they "stopped the video before the NYPD got on and escorted the preacher off the train."
The man singing in the video, Rob Maiale, reached out to BuzzFeed News with his side of the story:
I was riding the M train in from Bushwick when this man (who I've seen bothering riders before) begin preaching to passengers. Initially he was going on about fornication, okay fine. Then he started denouncing same sex relationships. It's an unpopular opinion in New York and it irritated me a bit, but I understand 1st Amendment rights, and didn't say anything. Then, his "preaching" shifted from a broad audience to a lesbian couple with their child. Asking, "What are you going to tell that child when he asks why you're living in sin and going to go to hell?" I decided that this guy wasn't going to get to talk anymore.
I myself and neither religious, nor gay, but if you want to live in this city, you need to learn how to be civil.
Fellow passengers applaud and cheer as the future Broadway star hits all the right notes:
And what happens when the preacher tries to yell over this glorious melody?
Our hero busts out a powerful heel click!
"What the man was saying was so absurd and hateful that I figured the most disarming thing would be something equally absurd and joyful," said Rob of his song choice.
"It's a snapshot from my childhood that embodies joy, overcoming adversity...and candy."
Grandpa Joe would be proud.
