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Actress Cynthia Nixon Criticized By Pastor At Breast Cancer Summit

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- There was a testy exchange between actress Cynthia Nixon and an audience member at a breast cancer summit on Long Island.

The "Sex And The City" star is a breast cancer survivor and was the keynote speaker at the third annual Breast Cancer summit in Baldwin Monday.

During her speech, Nixon, who is married to a woman, talked about cancer and also her wife.

Pastor Lisa Calabrese of the Regeneration Church in Bethpage, got up to chastise the actress for mentioning her wife during the speech.

Pastor Calls Out Nixon During Breast Cancer Speech:

"Is your personal stance regarding sharing your personal -- and about who you are and your wife -- there are some people who may not say that," Calabrese said to Nixon. "So that's part of, could be a part of something that needs to be kept as just talking about breast cancer."

Actress Cynthia Nixon Speaks At Breast Cancer Summit

"I, you know, I take your first point. Your second point I completely reject," Nixon shot back.

"OK that's fine," Calabrese replied.

Calabrese told 1010 WINS reporter Mona Rivera she too is a breast cancer survivor and felt that Nixon was promoting same-sex marriage during the speech.

"I felt she had an agenda," Calabrese told Rivera.

Nixon told Rivera that she had never been criticized like that during a breast cancer speech.

"What did I do?," the actress asked. "I mentioned that I have a wife."

Nixon said that while she struggles with breast cancer, mentioning her wife is not promoting same-sex marriage, but rather "that's a part of the story,"Rivera reported.

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