Pro-Gay Romney

Here's a quote for K-Lo:

"[As] we seek to establish full equality for American gay and lesbian citizens, I will provide more effective leadership than [Ted Kennedy]."

Barney Frank? Nah. That's Mitt Romney, running for governor US senator in Massachusetts, in a 1994 letter to the Massachusetts Log Cabin Republicans. The Bay Windows op-ed that brought up that quote also contained the following facts that attendees at the Republican Governors' Association might want to take note of:

During the same campaign, when he was accused of having once described gay people as 'perverse' during a religious meeting of Mormons, Romney’s campaign issued a forceful statement decrying the accusation as false and reiterating that Romney respected "all people regardless of their race, creed, or sexual orientation."

During his 2001 run for governor, his campaign distributed bright pink flyers at the June Pride parade declaring "Mitt and Kerry wish you a great Pride weekend!" During his inaugural speech, he said it was important to defend civil rights "regardless of gender, sexual orientation, or race." He appointed eight openly gay and lesbian people to high profile positions in his administration. And before he decided to run for president — that is to say, before he needed to establish some strong anti-gay bonafides — Romney doubled the budget line item for the Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth.

Here's a simple test: can a Republican candidate in 2008 repeat Romney's words of 1994: that he respects "all people regardless of their race, creed, or sexual orientation." Bush has never been able to say those two words: "sexual orientation". Romney has. Will he ever say them again? Let's keep an open mind, shall we?

(Photo: Associated Press.)