Cynthia Nixon shrugs off 'unqualified lesbian' barb with tweet zinger

Now that actress Cynthia Nixon is officially running for governor of New York, she's facing some tough jeers from opponents.

But the Sex And The City star is also rolling with the (low) punches with the ease and swagger of a seasoned pro.

Speaking to the New York Post on Tuesday, former NYC Council speaker Christine Quinn, who is openly gay and a supporter of Gov. Andrew Cuomo (Nixon's opponent in the Democratic primary) said, "Cynthia Nixon was opposed to having a qualified lesbian become mayor of New York City. Now she wants an unqualified lesbian to be the governor of New York. You have to be qualified and have experience. She isn’t qualified to be the governor."

Damn.

Nixon, though, took the stinger in stride. The actress, who has identified as bisexual and is married to a woman, responded with a clever quip via Twitter on Wednesday night.

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It's worth noting that, at least from Quinn's perspective, there were already some salty feelings. Her reference to Nixon being "opposed to having a qualified lesbian become mayor of New York City" was a reference to Nixon endorsing Bill de Blasio over Quinn in the 2013 NYC mayoral race.

That topic came up in a series of tweets Quinn sent Tuesday afternoon after her quote was published.

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Despite the inter-party battle, it's worth noting that both Nixon and Quinn have both been involved in LGBT advocacy work and both have been recognized for that by the Human Rights Campaign; the HRC endorsed Quinn's 2013 mayoral run and, in February, the HRC honored Nixon with its Visibility Award.

New York's gubernatorial primary is on Sept. 13 with the general election to follow on Nov. 6.