During the 1977 mayoral primary between Mario Cuomo and Ed Koch, posters appeared throughout New York City with the slogan, 'Vote for Cuomo, not the homo." Reacting to long-standing rumors that he is a homosexual, Koch told one magazine in 1982: "No, I am not a homosexual. If I were a homosexual, I would hope I would have the courage to say so. What's cruel is that you are forcing me to say I am not a homosexual. This means you are putting homosexuals down. I don't want to do that." Asked if he had ever had a homosexual experience, Koch replied that he would not discuss his private life in public.