05/09/2012

Washington– The Human Rights Campaign – the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization – is condemning Mitt Romney for being opposed to even the most basic forms of relationship recognition for gay and lesbian couples.  

On the same day as President Barack Obama historically announced his support for marriage equality and stressed that all people are deserving of dignity and respect, Romney told a Denver news station: "If a civil union is identical to marriage other than in the name, I don't support that.”

“It’s disheartening – but not at all surprising – that on this historic day, Mitt Romney is yet again bowing to the demands of his far-right anti-gay supporters and speaking out against not just marriage, but even civil unions,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “Today, we heard from President Obama a message of hope that made a compelling case for why committed, loving same-sex couples deserve the right to marry. Mitt Romney, on the other hand, is seeking to undo all of the hard-fought progress we’ve achieved over these past few years. He wants to codify discrimination against LGBT people into our Constitution via a federal marriage amendment, and he refuses to acknowledge the dignity and basic protections our families need.”

Mitt Romney vehemently fought against marriage equality when it became law in Massachusetts and has petitioned Congress for a federal marriage amendment that would strip marriage equality from couples in six states and the District of Columbia. Romney has aligned himself closely – both through financial support and in his policies – with the rabidly anti-gay National Organization for Marriage (NOM). He even signed their extremist “marriage vow,” in which he promises to defend the Discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act, vigorously push for a federal marriage amendment, and set up a McCarthy-like commission to investigate LGBT equality supporters.

In addition to standing against relationship recognition, Romney has made it his sport to throw the LGBT community under the bus to woo support from groups like NOM. While running against Ted Kennedy in 1994 for the U.S. Senate, Romney told the Bay State’s LGBT community he’d be better on gay rights than Kennedy. He vowed to sponsor a federal employment non-discrimination act and touted the “shared goal” of open military service.

But Romney changed his tune on virtually all of the issues once he began pursuing the presidency. He opposed the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’ He opposes federal protections for LGBT people in the workplace, now claiming that he feels an employment non-discrimination act would place an “undue burden” on employers. And during a previous campaign stop in South Carolina, he referred to LGBT families in Massachusetts with disgust, telling the crowd: “Some of them are even having children born to them.”

Mitt Romney’s policies are rooted in the agendas of extremist anti-gay groups. Learn more about Romney’s disastrous track record on issues of LGBT equality at hrc.org/mittnmatch.

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.