Mt Romney Stands Athwart As Democrats Make Gay-Marriage History

Contents:

• ROMNEY'S VIEWS ON GAY MARRIAGE: ALSO EVOLVG?
• MT ROMNEY'S LONG FIGHT AGAST GAY MARRIAGE
• AS ERNOR, ROMNEY FACED CHALLENGE ON GAY MARRIAGE
• MT ROMNEY STANDS ATHWART AS DEMOCRATS MAKE GAY-MARRIAGE HISTORYSTONEWALLEDROMNEY SUPPORTERS WHO ALSO SUPPORT GAY-RIGHTS MARRIAGE FORT THEMSELV THAT BEG AGAST GAY RIGHTS IS NOT HIS PRRY. THAT’S NOT GOOD ENOUGH, WR DEMOCRAT AND GAY-RIGHTS ADVOTE RICHARD SORIS.RICHARD SORISUPDATED JUL. 13, 2017 11:48PM EDT / PUBLISHED SEP. 05, 2012 4:45AM EDT JT SULLIVAN / GETTY IMAGLAST NIGHT CHARLOTTE, THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY MA HISTORY AS THE FIRST NATNAL PARTY TO OFFER A PLATFORM ENDORSG MARRIAGE EQUALY FOR ALL AMERINS. THE MOVE FOLLOWED, OF URSE, PRINT OBAMA'S PERSONAL ENDORSEMENT OF SAME-SEX MARRIAGE MAY. BOTH WERE IMPORTANT MOMENTS FOR ME, HERE AS A LEGATE FOR NEW YORK, AND MANY OTHERS AT THE NVENTN WHO HAVE FOUGHT FOR FULL EQUALY FOR GAYS AND LBIANS OVER MANY YEARS.IT WAS A PLETELY DIFFERENT SCENE TAMPA LAST WEEK.WHEN ANN ROMNEY SPOKE ABOUT HER OWN “REAL MARRIAGE” AT THE REPUBLIN NATNAL CONVENTN, I WONRED IF THIS ADMTEDLY LIKABLE WOMAN DNG FOR A ROLE AS FIRST LADY WOULD SOMEDAY TRY TO STAND THE WAY OF MY MARRIAGE. I THOUGHT: N MT ROMNEY STOP GAY MARRIAGE? DO HE EVEN WANT TO? SOME MATA THAT WH RPECT TO MT ROMNEY AND THE REPUBLINS, PUBLIC OPN ON GAY RIGHTS HAS SHIFTED SO RAPIDLY THAT THE ANSWERS ARE NOT AS OBV AS THEY WERE EVEN A FEW YEARS AGO. THE REPUBLIN-NTROLLED NEW YORK STATE SENATE VOTED LAST YEAR FAVOR OF GAY MARRIAGE (ALTHOUGH MOST REPUBLINS VOTED AGAST , THEY ALLOWED A VOTE, AND ENOUGH SUPPORTED THE MEASURE TO GET THROUGH).BIG DONORS, CLUDG NEW YORK MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, PROMISED TO SUPPORT PARTY MEMBERS WHO BROKE RANKS TO BACK THE MEASURE, AND THAT PRSURE OM DONORS HAS ALSO BEEN FELT NATNALLY, WHERE THERE IS GROWG SUPPORT FOR GAY MARRIAGE OM LEADG NATNAL REPUBLINS. THEY CLU STEVE SCHMIDT, THE FORMER MCCA MPAIGN MANAGER; BILLNAIRE REPUBLIN FUNDRAISERS PL SGER AND DAVID KOCH; TED OLSON, FORMER BH SOLICOR GENERAL; JOSH BOLTON, FORMER U.N. AMBASSADOR; FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE COL POWELL, NOT TO MENTN FORMER FIRST LADY LRA BH AND FORMER VICE PRINT DICK CHENEY.KEN MEHLMAN, THE OPENLY GAY FORMER REPUBLIN PARTY CHAIR, TOLD ME, "REPUBLIN SUPPORT FOR MARRIAGE AND EQUAL TREATMENT UNR THE LAW IS CREASG BEE, NOT SPE OF, OUR NSERVATIVE VALU. ALLOWG ADULTS WHO LOVE EACH OTHER TO ENTER TO CIVIL MARRIAGE EXPANDS EEDOM, PROMOT FAY VALU LIKE MMENT, AND PROTECTS RELIG LIBERTY WHILE FOLLOWG THE GOLN RULE." MEHLMAN, WHO WAS ALSO POLIL DIRECTOR DURG THE GEE W. BH WHE HOE, HAS VOTED SUBSTANTIAL TIME AND EFFORT TO PROMOTG GAY RIGHTS SCE HE ME OUT TWO YEARS AGO (HE EVEN APOLOGIZED PUBLICLY FOR THE WORK HE DID PROMOTG ANTI-GAY BALLOT IATIV DURG THE 2004 PRINTIAL ELECTN).THE MSAGE MANY YOUNGER REPUBLINS ARE TRYG TO GET OUT WAS SUMMED UP NICELY BY BARBARA ANN FENTON, A 31-YEAR-OLD LEGATE OM RHO ISLAND WHO TOLD CNN, “FOR MY OWN GENERATN, A LOT OF TIM HOMOSEXUALY IS NOT THE BIGGT AL THE WORLD. AND THAT'S OK." THIRTY PERCENT OF REPUBLINS NOW SUPPORT MARRIAGE EQUALY, ACRDG TO A WASHGTON POST/KAISER FOUNDATN POLL (A REAL START, THOUGH STILL FAR BEHD THE 53 PERCENT OF ALL AMERINS WHO SUPPORT ).BUT THE REPUBLIN PARTY IS SUFFERG OM AN IOLOGIL SPL PERSONALY. THE SAME POLL FOUND THAT VERY FEW REPUBLINS WHO INTIFY THEMSELV AS PART OF THE TEA PARTY MOVEMENT, WHO ARE RELIG VALUE VOTERS, OR SO-LLED PRO-ERNMENT GOP’ERS, SUPPORT GAY MARRIAGE. ONLY THOSE INTIFIED AS OLD-SCHOOL REPUBLINS AND YOUNGER PEOPLE WHO MAY BE ONLY MARGALLY THE PARTY, SUPPORTED GAY EQUALY—AND THEY MAY NOT REPRENT THE PARTY’S FUTURE.THERE WERE MANY SIGNS DURG THE REPUBLIN NVENTN THAT ELEMENTS WH THE PARTY STILL WANT TO VERY AGGRSIVELY OPPOSE GAY-RIGHTS, AND THAT A ROMNEY PRINCY WOULD SET BACK THE E SUBSTANTIALLY.FIRST THERE WAS THE ACTUAL REPUBLIN PARTY PLATFORM, THE NEW YORK TIM LLED "MORE AGGRSIVE S OPPOSN ... TO GAY RIGHTS THAN ANY MEMORY." TONY PERKS, HEAD OF THE ANTI-GAY RIGHTS FAY REARCH COUNCIL, BOASTED THAT HE WAS GIVEN THE PRIVILEGE OF ACTUALLY DRAFTG THE PARTY’S POSNS ON GAY-RIGHTS ISSU. THE PLATFORM ENDORS A NSTUTNAL AMENDMENT BANNG SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, CRICIZ PRINT OBAMA FOR NOT FENDG THE DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT, AND POTEDLY REJECTS THE "E OF THE ARY AS A PLATFORM FOR SOCIAL EXPERIMENTATN" (AN ONLY THLY D CRICISM OF THE REPEAL OF THE SO-LLED “DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL” POLICY THAT KEPT OPEN GAYS OM SERVG THE ARY UNTIL JT LAST YEAR).WHILE MANY BELIEVE THAT ROMNEY PERSONALLY DO NOT FAVOR DISCRIMATN, THE POSNS HE HAS TAKEN THE MPAIGN—MOST NOTABLY HIS SUPPORT FOR A NSTUTNAL AMENDMENT BANNG SAME-SEX MARRIAGE—SEEM VERY HARD RIGHT THE NTEXT OF TODAY'S RAPIDLY EMERGG NSENS OF PRO-EQUALY VIEWS. PRINT OBAMA, AFTER WHAT GAY-RIGHTS ADVOT NOW PRETTY MUCH UNIVERSALLY KNOWLEDGE WAS A VERY SLOW START, SEEMS TO HAVE GENERALLY WARMED TO THE IA THAT SUPPORTG GAY-RIGHTS IS NOT ONLY IS GOOD POLICY BUT GOOD POLICS.ROMNEY SUPPORTERS WHO ALSO SUPPORT SAME-SEX MARRIAGE (AND Y, THERE ARE MORE AND MORE OF THEM EVERY DAY) SAY THAT GAY-RIGHTS ARE NOT HIS PRRY. WHAT THEY MEAN IS THAT BEG AGAST GAY-RIGHTS IS NOT HIS PRRY. AND THE PEOPLE ARGUE THAT THIS IS PROGRS. THEY NOTE THAT THE ROMNEY MPAIGN STAYED SILENT AFTER THE DEMOCRATS ME OUT FOR SAME-SEX MARRIAGE THEIR DRAFT PARTY PLATFORM, AND THAT NOT EVEN THE CHICK-FIL-A NTROVERSY TEMPTED HIM TO ENGAGE THE ISSUE.BUT ROMNEY HAS SIGNED ON TO EXTREME ANTI-GAY-RIGHTS POSNS, CLUDG A PLEDGE THORED BY THE ANTI-GAY NATNAL ORGANIZATN FOR MARRIAGE WHICH HE NOT ONLY AGRE TO SUPPORT THE ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE NSTUTNAL AMENDMENT, BUT TO APPOT SUPREME COURT JTIC MTED TO “RTRAT” AND “APPLYG THE ORIGAL MEANG OF THE CONSTUTN” WHO WILL “REJECT THE IA OUR FOUNDG FATHERS SERTED A RIGHT TO GAY MARRIAGE TO OUR CONSTUTN.” A KD OF ANTI-GAY SUPREME COURT LM TT.BUT MOST IMPORTANT IS HOW A ROMNEY JTICE DEPARTMENT WOULD HANDLE PENDG SUPREME COURT S ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, TO BE ARGUED JT MONTHS AFTER THE BEGNG OF A NEW PRINTIAL TERM. PRINT OBAMA, RATHER BOLDLY, ORRED HIS JTICE DEPARTMENT NOT TO FEND THE NSTUTNALY OF THE DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT AND AS A RULT OF THIS MID-TERM TURNAROUND, THE ERNMENT IS NOW ARGUG ALONGSI GAY-RIGHTS ADVOT THAT LAWS THAT DISCRIMATE ON THE BASIS OF SEXUAL ORIENTATN ARE UNNSTUTNAL.ROMNEY CLAR ON HIS MPAIGN WEBSE: “AS PRINT, MT WILL NOT ONLY APPOT AN ATTORNEY GENERAL WHO WILL FEND THE DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT—A BIPARTISAN LAW PASSED BY CONGRS AND SIGNED BY PRINT CLTON—BUT HE WILL ALSO CHAMPN A FERAL MARRIAGE AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTUTN FG MARRIAGE AS BETWEEN ONE MAN AND ONE WOMAN.” I ASKED EVAN WOLFSON, PRINT OF THE GROUP FREEDOM TO MARRY AND THE FOUNR OF THE MARRIAGE EQUALY MOVEMENT NATNALLY, WHETHER HE THOUGH MT ROMNEY ULD STOP MARRIAGE EQUALY OR IF HE THOUGHT ROMNEY EVEN RED."HE HAS STAKED OUT A POSN, WHETHER SCERELY OR OTHERWISE, TO THE RIGHT OF DICK CHENEY AND GEE W. BH,” SAID WOLFSON. “WE HAVE NO REASON TO THK HE'S NOT SER.”SO WHILE I WELE MY PRO-EQUALY IENDS THE GOP TO THE E—THEY SEE THE FUTURE—I'M HAPPIER CHARLOTTE THAN I WOULD HAVE BEEN TAMPA. AND I HOPE THAT THE UNTRY STICKS WH THE PRINT 'S GOT. RICHARD SORIS
• MT ROMNEY ON GAY MARRIAGE
• MT ROMNEY'S GAY SPOKMAN: A MILTONE REPUBLIN POLICS
• MT ROMNEY REAFFIRMS OPPOSN TO GAY MARRIAGE
• MT ROMNEY OPPOSED TO GAY MARRIAGE, STOPS SHORT OF LABELG OBAMA A FLIP-FLOPPER

ROMNEY'S VIEWS ON GAY MARRIAGE: ALSO EVOLVG?

Wh Print Barack Obama's change of posn on gay marriage -- which earned a Full Flop on our Flip-O-Meter -- we thought was a good time to take a h look at Mt Romney's posn on the same issue. As we wrote 2007, Romney took a relatively liberal approach on gay rights durg his 1994 Senate race agast liberal Democratic in Edward M. Durg his Senate race, Romney wrote a letter to the Massachetts branch of the Log Cab Republins, which read part, "I am more nvced than ever before that as we seek to tablish full equaly for Ameri's gay and lbian cizens, I will provi more effective learship than my opponent.

" He promised the group that he would support laws preventg discrimatn agast gays and lbians the workplace and implied his hope for the eventual full tegratn of gays the ary, a policy that was ultimately approved 16 years later. While Romney 1994 offered relatively liberal views on some polici of importance to gay voters, he never went so far as to support same-sex marriage. “I have suggted to others that not only would I like to see Roe, Casey, and Griswold on ntraceptn dified but I’ve also ma clear my support for, for gay marriage years ago, ” she said.

A day after Print Obama announced his support for gay marriage, Republin printial ndidate Mt Romney avoid the issue at a mpaign appearance Thursday Nebraska. Romney has long been acced of hedgg on issu like gay rights, but Wednday he sisted his posn on same-sex marriage is clear: "My view is that marriage self is a relatnship between a man and a woman.

MT ROMNEY'S LONG FIGHT AGAST GAY MARRIAGE

"His mpaign distributed at the gay pri para pk flyers that asserted that he would be a better and a stronger advote than Ted Kennedy, " rells lobbyist Arlene Isaacson. She says jt a few years later, everythg changed — after Romney was elected ernor 2002, and a Massachetts supreme urt cisn 2003 paved the way for gay marriage the next year.

AS ERNOR, ROMNEY FACED CHALLENGE ON GAY MARRIAGE

Romney did everythg he uld to keep Massachetts om beg the "Las Vegas of gay marriage, " backg a nstutnal ban at the state and feral levels. Clarke Cooper, head of the gay anizatn the Log Cab Republins, agre: "He's parsed his words a way that almost seems to some like he wants both ways.

"Call me old fashned, but I don't support gay marriage nor do I support civil unn, " Romney clared at an October 2002 gubernatorial bate. 16, 2022The Church of J Christ of Latter-day Sats gave s support on Tuday to a feral bill that would provi creased protectns for same-sex marriage, a limed but notable step om a church that historilly has aggrsively opposed gay move me on the same day senators announced a relig eedom amendment to the legislatn hop of securg broar support. People, acrdg to the Public Relign Rearch church’s latt posn shows s long and slow parture om s public support of Proposn 8 California, which banned gay marriage the state and was later stck down urt.

He has sought support om gay Republins and said the Clton admistratn's "don't ask, don't tell" ary policy was "a step the right directn.

MT ROMNEY STANDS ATHWART AS DEMOCRATS MAKE GAY-MARRIAGE HISTORYSTONEWALLEDROMNEY SUPPORTERS WHO ALSO SUPPORT GAY-RIGHTS MARRIAGE FORT THEMSELV THAT BEG AGAST GAY RIGHTS IS NOT HIS PRRY. THAT’S NOT GOOD ENOUGH, WR DEMOCRAT AND GAY-RIGHTS ADVOTE RICHARD SORIS.RICHARD SORISUPDATED JUL. 13, 2017 11:48PM EDT / PUBLISHED SEP. 05, 2012 4:45AM EDT JT SULLIVAN / GETTY IMAGLAST NIGHT CHARLOTTE, THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY MA HISTORY AS THE FIRST NATNAL PARTY TO OFFER A PLATFORM ENDORSG MARRIAGE EQUALY FOR ALL AMERINS. THE MOVE FOLLOWED, OF URSE, PRINT OBAMA'S PERSONAL ENDORSEMENT OF SAME-SEX MARRIAGE MAY. BOTH WERE IMPORTANT MOMENTS FOR ME, HERE AS A LEGATE FOR NEW YORK, AND MANY OTHERS AT THE NVENTN WHO HAVE FOUGHT FOR FULL EQUALY FOR GAYS AND LBIANS OVER MANY YEARS.IT WAS A PLETELY DIFFERENT SCENE TAMPA LAST WEEK.WHEN ANN ROMNEY SPOKE ABOUT HER OWN “REAL MARRIAGE” AT THE REPUBLIN NATNAL CONVENTN, I WONRED IF THIS ADMTEDLY LIKABLE WOMAN DNG FOR A ROLE AS FIRST LADY WOULD SOMEDAY TRY TO STAND THE WAY OF MY MARRIAGE. I THOUGHT: N MT ROMNEY STOP GAY MARRIAGE? DO HE EVEN WANT TO? SOME MATA THAT WH RPECT TO MT ROMNEY AND THE REPUBLINS, PUBLIC OPN ON GAY RIGHTS HAS SHIFTED SO RAPIDLY THAT THE ANSWERS ARE NOT AS OBV AS THEY WERE EVEN A FEW YEARS AGO. THE REPUBLIN-NTROLLED NEW YORK STATE SENATE VOTED LAST YEAR FAVOR OF GAY MARRIAGE (ALTHOUGH MOST REPUBLINS VOTED AGAST , THEY ALLOWED A VOTE, AND ENOUGH SUPPORTED THE MEASURE TO GET THROUGH).BIG DONORS, CLUDG NEW YORK MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, PROMISED TO SUPPORT PARTY MEMBERS WHO BROKE RANKS TO BACK THE MEASURE, AND THAT PRSURE OM DONORS HAS ALSO BEEN FELT NATNALLY, WHERE THERE IS GROWG SUPPORT FOR GAY MARRIAGE OM LEADG NATNAL REPUBLINS. THEY CLU STEVE SCHMIDT, THE FORMER MCCA MPAIGN MANAGER; BILLNAIRE REPUBLIN FUNDRAISERS PL SGER AND DAVID KOCH; TED OLSON, FORMER BH SOLICOR GENERAL; JOSH BOLTON, FORMER U.N. AMBASSADOR; FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE COL POWELL, NOT TO MENTN FORMER FIRST LADY LRA BH AND FORMER VICE PRINT DICK CHENEY.KEN MEHLMAN, THE OPENLY GAY FORMER REPUBLIN PARTY CHAIR, TOLD ME, "REPUBLIN SUPPORT FOR MARRIAGE AND EQUAL TREATMENT UNR THE LAW IS CREASG BEE, NOT SPE OF, OUR NSERVATIVE VALU. ALLOWG ADULTS WHO LOVE EACH OTHER TO ENTER TO CIVIL MARRIAGE EXPANDS EEDOM, PROMOT FAY VALU LIKE MMENT, AND PROTECTS RELIG LIBERTY WHILE FOLLOWG THE GOLN RULE." MEHLMAN, WHO WAS ALSO POLIL DIRECTOR DURG THE GEE W. BH WHE HOE, HAS VOTED SUBSTANTIAL TIME AND EFFORT TO PROMOTG GAY RIGHTS SCE HE ME OUT TWO YEARS AGO (HE EVEN APOLOGIZED PUBLICLY FOR THE WORK HE DID PROMOTG ANTI-GAY BALLOT IATIV DURG THE 2004 PRINTIAL ELECTN).THE MSAGE MANY YOUNGER REPUBLINS ARE TRYG TO GET OUT WAS SUMMED UP NICELY BY BARBARA ANN FENTON, A 31-YEAR-OLD LEGATE OM RHO ISLAND WHO TOLD CNN, “FOR MY OWN GENERATN, A LOT OF TIM HOMOSEXUALY IS NOT THE BIGGT AL THE WORLD. AND THAT'S OK." THIRTY PERCENT OF REPUBLINS NOW SUPPORT MARRIAGE EQUALY, ACRDG TO A WASHGTON POST/KAISER FOUNDATN POLL (A REAL START, THOUGH STILL FAR BEHD THE 53 PERCENT OF ALL AMERINS WHO SUPPORT ).BUT THE REPUBLIN PARTY IS SUFFERG OM AN IOLOGIL SPL PERSONALY. THE SAME POLL FOUND THAT VERY FEW REPUBLINS WHO INTIFY THEMSELV AS PART OF THE TEA PARTY MOVEMENT, WHO ARE RELIG VALUE VOTERS, OR SO-LLED PRO-ERNMENT GOP’ERS, SUPPORT GAY MARRIAGE. ONLY THOSE INTIFIED AS OLD-SCHOOL REPUBLINS AND YOUNGER PEOPLE WHO MAY BE ONLY MARGALLY THE PARTY, SUPPORTED GAY EQUALY—AND THEY MAY NOT REPRENT THE PARTY’S FUTURE.THERE WERE MANY SIGNS DURG THE REPUBLIN NVENTN THAT ELEMENTS WH THE PARTY STILL WANT TO VERY AGGRSIVELY OPPOSE GAY-RIGHTS, AND THAT A ROMNEY PRINCY WOULD SET BACK THE E SUBSTANTIALLY.FIRST THERE WAS THE ACTUAL REPUBLIN PARTY PLATFORM, THE NEW YORK TIM LLED "MORE AGGRSIVE S OPPOSN ... TO GAY RIGHTS THAN ANY MEMORY." TONY PERKS, HEAD OF THE ANTI-GAY RIGHTS FAY REARCH COUNCIL, BOASTED THAT HE WAS GIVEN THE PRIVILEGE OF ACTUALLY DRAFTG THE PARTY’S POSNS ON GAY-RIGHTS ISSU. THE PLATFORM ENDORS A NSTUTNAL AMENDMENT BANNG SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, CRICIZ PRINT OBAMA FOR NOT FENDG THE DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT, AND POTEDLY REJECTS THE "E OF THE ARY AS A PLATFORM FOR SOCIAL EXPERIMENTATN" (AN ONLY THLY D CRICISM OF THE REPEAL OF THE SO-LLED “DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL” POLICY THAT KEPT OPEN GAYS OM SERVG THE ARY UNTIL JT LAST YEAR).WHILE MANY BELIEVE THAT ROMNEY PERSONALLY DO NOT FAVOR DISCRIMATN, THE POSNS HE HAS TAKEN THE MPAIGN—MOST NOTABLY HIS SUPPORT FOR A NSTUTNAL AMENDMENT BANNG SAME-SEX MARRIAGE—SEEM VERY HARD RIGHT THE NTEXT OF TODAY'S RAPIDLY EMERGG NSENS OF PRO-EQUALY VIEWS. PRINT OBAMA, AFTER WHAT GAY-RIGHTS ADVOT NOW PRETTY MUCH UNIVERSALLY KNOWLEDGE WAS A VERY SLOW START, SEEMS TO HAVE GENERALLY WARMED TO THE IA THAT SUPPORTG GAY-RIGHTS IS NOT ONLY IS GOOD POLICY BUT GOOD POLICS.ROMNEY SUPPORTERS WHO ALSO SUPPORT SAME-SEX MARRIAGE (AND Y, THERE ARE MORE AND MORE OF THEM EVERY DAY) SAY THAT GAY-RIGHTS ARE NOT HIS PRRY. WHAT THEY MEAN IS THAT BEG AGAST GAY-RIGHTS IS NOT HIS PRRY. AND THE PEOPLE ARGUE THAT THIS IS PROGRS. THEY NOTE THAT THE ROMNEY MPAIGN STAYED SILENT AFTER THE DEMOCRATS ME OUT FOR SAME-SEX MARRIAGE THEIR DRAFT PARTY PLATFORM, AND THAT NOT EVEN THE CHICK-FIL-A NTROVERSY TEMPTED HIM TO ENGAGE THE ISSUE.BUT ROMNEY HAS SIGNED ON TO EXTREME ANTI-GAY-RIGHTS POSNS, CLUDG A PLEDGE THORED BY THE ANTI-GAY NATNAL ORGANIZATN FOR MARRIAGE WHICH HE NOT ONLY AGRE TO SUPPORT THE ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE NSTUTNAL AMENDMENT, BUT TO APPOT SUPREME COURT JTIC MTED TO “RTRAT” AND “APPLYG THE ORIGAL MEANG OF THE CONSTUTN” WHO WILL “REJECT THE IA OUR FOUNDG FATHERS SERTED A RIGHT TO GAY MARRIAGE TO OUR CONSTUTN.” A KD OF ANTI-GAY SUPREME COURT LM TT.BUT MOST IMPORTANT IS HOW A ROMNEY JTICE DEPARTMENT WOULD HANDLE PENDG SUPREME COURT S ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, TO BE ARGUED JT MONTHS AFTER THE BEGNG OF A NEW PRINTIAL TERM. PRINT OBAMA, RATHER BOLDLY, ORRED HIS JTICE DEPARTMENT NOT TO FEND THE NSTUTNALY OF THE DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT AND AS A RULT OF THIS MID-TERM TURNAROUND, THE ERNMENT IS NOW ARGUG ALONGSI GAY-RIGHTS ADVOT THAT LAWS THAT DISCRIMATE ON THE BASIS OF SEXUAL ORIENTATN ARE UNNSTUTNAL.ROMNEY CLAR ON HIS MPAIGN WEBSE: “AS PRINT, MT WILL NOT ONLY APPOT AN ATTORNEY GENERAL WHO WILL FEND THE DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT—A BIPARTISAN LAW PASSED BY CONGRS AND SIGNED BY PRINT CLTON—BUT HE WILL ALSO CHAMPN A FERAL MARRIAGE AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTUTN FG MARRIAGE AS BETWEEN ONE MAN AND ONE WOMAN.” I ASKED EVAN WOLFSON, PRINT OF THE GROUP FREEDOM TO MARRY AND THE FOUNR OF THE MARRIAGE EQUALY MOVEMENT NATNALLY, WHETHER HE THOUGH MT ROMNEY ULD STOP MARRIAGE EQUALY OR IF HE THOUGHT ROMNEY EVEN RED."HE HAS STAKED OUT A POSN, WHETHER SCERELY OR OTHERWISE, TO THE RIGHT OF DICK CHENEY AND GEE W. BH,” SAID WOLFSON. “WE HAVE NO REASON TO THK HE'S NOT SER.”SO WHILE I WELE MY PRO-EQUALY IENDS THE GOP TO THE E—THEY SEE THE FUTURE—I'M HAPPIER CHARLOTTE THAN I WOULD HAVE BEEN TAMPA. AND I HOPE THAT THE UNTRY STICKS WH THE PRINT 'S GOT. RICHARD SORIS

But he has nsistently opposed gay marriage throughout his public reer, and more recently has toughened his stance to support an amendment to the U.

Senate Massachetts, he told a Boston-area gay newspaper that the fn of marriage was a "state issue as you know -- the thorizatn of marriage on a same-sex basis falls unr state jurisdictn.

Durg his Senate race, Romney wrote a letter to the Massachetts branch of the Log Cab Republins, "I am more nvced than ever before that as we seek to tablish full equaly for Ameri's gay and lbian cizens, I will provi more effective learship than my opponent. " He promised the group that he would support laws preventg discrimatn agast gays and lbians the workplace and implied his hope for the eventual full tegratn of gays the ary. McCa, who actively opposed the 2006 amendment attempt on the grounds that was unnecsary and would vlate stat' rights, says that he would only support such an amendment if the Supreme Court began to strike down state-level gay marriage bans.

MT ROMNEY ON GAY MARRIAGE

Thompson has proposed a nstutnal amendment that would not ban gay marriag, but would ee stat om the obligatn to regnize same-sex marriag performed other stat. WASHINGTON — Ten months to his term as Massachetts ernor, Mt Romney was abptly nonted wh an emotnally charged issue: The state’s hight urt led that gays had the legal right to marry, thstg the state to the foreont of the same-sex marriage bate.

At mimum, Romney’s handlg of the gay marriage lg — laid out terviews wh key players and state documents — provis a wdow to his cisn-makg style and polil tactics.

MT ROMNEY'S GAY SPOKMAN: A MILTONE REPUBLIN POLICS

Romney had vowed while nng Massachetts to fend and expand the rights of gays and lbians, although he opposed same-sex marriage and civil unns. “He need issu that would help him pivot, ” said Rich Tafel, who found the natnal gay rights group Log Cab Republins and advised Romney how to secure the state chapter’s endorsement his unsuccsful 1994 Senate bid. ” He promised to -sponsor a feral nondiscrimatn act and support efforts to allow gays and lbians to serve “openly and hontly” the ary.

MT ROMNEY REAFFIRMS OPPOSN TO GAY MARRIAGE

At one pot, after his Democratic opponent said she would sign a bill legalizg gay marriage, Romney promised to make domtic partner benefs a “hallmark of my learship as ernor, ” the Boston Globe reported at the time.

” Inially, he stck a balanced tone wh his two-track move to fd a legislative solutn that would satisfy the urt while rrallg support for a nstutnal amendment banng gay marriage. But the Romney admistratn hoped to e the amendment — which required addnal approval by the Legislature 2005 and voters 2006 — to persua the urt to postpone the start of gay marriag.

Romney ultimately abandoned his support for the promise measure, llg “muddied, ” and endorsed a separate cizens’ petn for an amendment to ban gay marriage. “We didn’t thk we were stretchg the bounds of legal reasong to apply this se — was stated the very cisn that legalized gay marriage, ” Flaherty said.

MT ROMNEY OPPOSED TO GAY MARRIAGE, STOPS SHORT OF LABELG OBAMA A FLIP-FLOPPER

In late April 2004, ls than a month before gay marriag were set to beg, Romney announced that the state would beg checkg the rincy of all upl seekg marriage licens. “Massachetts should not bee the Las Vegas of same-sex marriage, ” he told the New York Tim, a le he has repeated equently on the mpaign trail this year as he touts his efforts to stop gay marriage. Alli believe Romney’s ultimately unsuccsful efforts to stop gay marriag Massachetts were driven part by a personal nvictn shaped by his fah as a vout Mormon.

“It’s not jt a polil issue — he stands for somethg he believ , his wife believ , ” said Kris Me, head of the nservative Massachetts Fay Instute, a group that worked closely wh Romney on the cizens’ amendment to ban gay marriage. Both were important moments for me, here as a legate for New York, and many others at the nventn who have fought for full equaly for gays and lbians over many was a pletely different scene Tampa last Ann Romney spoke about her own “real marriage” at the Republin Natnal Conventn, I wonred if this admtedly likable woman dng for a role as first lady would someday try to stand the way of my marriage. Some mata that wh rpect to Mt Romney and the Republins, public opn on gay rights has shifted so rapidly that the answers are not as obv as they were even a few years ago.

The Republin-ntrolled New York State Senate voted last year favor of gay marriage (although most Republins voted agast , they allowed a vote, and enough supported the measure to get through) donors, cludg New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, promised to support party members who broke ranks to back the measure, and that prsure om donors has also been felt natnally, where there is growg support for gay marriage om leadg natnal Republins. Ambassador; former secretary of state Col Powell, not to mentn former first lady Lra Bh and former vice print Dick Mehlman, the openly gay former Republin Party chair, told me, "Republin support for marriage and equal treatment unr the law is creasg bee, not spe of, our nservative valu. Bh Whe Hoe, has voted substantial time and effort to promotg gay rights sce he me out two years ago (he even apologized publicly for the work he did promotg anti-gay ballot iativ durg the 2004 printial electn) msage many younger Republins are tryg to get out was summed up nicely by Barbara Ann Fenton, a 31-year-old legate om Rho Island who told CNN, “For my own generatn, a lot of tim homosexualy is not the biggt al the world.