Passenger silences homophobic preacher with Willy Wonka song
A train passenger broke into a Willy Wonka song in order to drown out a homophobic preacher on a New York subway.
The passenger, believed to be Rob Maiale, started singing I've Got A Golden Ticket from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory after hearing the preacher's anti-gay slurs.
According to witnesses, police escorted the preacher off the train soon after the footage was recorded.
Video of the encounter has been viewed nearly 116,000 times since it was uploaded by Isaac Jaffe on Wednesday.
Mr Maiale, 29, a voice actor and writer, told BuzzFeed that he had seen the man bothering commuters before and decided to interrupt after the preacher approached a lesbian couple with their child.
Asked why he chose to sing Golden Ticket, Maiale replied: “What the man was saying was so absurd and hateful that I figured the most disarming thing would be something equally absurd and joyful.
“It’s a snapshot from my childhood that embodies joy, overcoming adversity and candy.”
"I myself and neither religious, nor gay, but if you want to live in this city, you need to learn how to be civil."