03/30/2012

Washington– The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, today released never-before-seen financial documents from the National Organization for Marriage showing a $10,000 donation from Mitt Romney’s PAC in 2008.  HRC called on Mitt Romney to disavow the racially divisive tactics of the National Organization for Marriage, which HRC this week revealed to be engaging in a plan to “drive a wedge between gays and blacks” and manipulate the Latino community.

“Mitt Romney’s funding of a hate-filled campaign designed to drive a wedge between Americans is beyond despicable,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “Not only has Romney signed NOM’s radical marriage pledge, now we know he’s one of the donors that NOM has been so desperate to keep secret all these years.”

HRC reviewed copies of Romney’s “Free and Strong America” PAC’s filings with the Federal Election Commission and no contribution to NOM was disclosed in 2008.  However, knowing that oftentimes federal leadership PACs create state PAC entities in places where contribution limits do not exist or disclosure laws are lax, HRC did discover an Alabama-based “Free and Strong America” PAC that in 2008 does disclose the $10,000 contribution to NOM.  Available on page 3 at: http://arc-sos.state.al.us/PEL/SOSELPDF.001/E0090860.PDF.

In an October 28, 2008 article in Utah’s Deseret News, Romney’s spokesperson claims they have made a contribution to Prop. 8, but there is no evidence of disclosure of a contribution to the effort.  If Romney’s spokesperson is accurate, then both Romney’s PAC and NOM may have violated California disclosure laws.

“For what other purpose would you contribute $10,000 to NOM three weeks before the election other than Prop 8?” said Solmonese.  “The question that now remains is whether this whole thing was an attempt for Mitt Romney to fund the Prop 8 battle without his own fingerprints.”

HRC exposed NOM’s divisive strategy this week in documents that were disclosed by a court in Maine as part of an ongoing campaign finance investigation into the organization.  NAACP Chairman Emeritus Julian Bond called NOM’s tactics “one of the most cynical things I've ever heard.”

“Mitt Romney must be held to account.  You can’t at one point say you’ll be better for gays than Ted Kennedy and then turn around and fund one of the most divisive, far-right strategies ever devised to deny rights to gay people,” said Solmonese.

Additionally, HRC launched an online action encouraging fair-minded Americans to contact Mitt Romney and tell him to disavow NOM’s divisive strategy.  The action is at: https://secure3.convio.net/hrc/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1401.

The Human Rights Campaign is America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.