By Peter J. Smith

JACKSONVILLE, Florida, May 25, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Officials running for public office should not discuss personal beliefs about morality says Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who also stated that his opposition to same-sex “marriage” should not be construed as intolerance of homosexuals, many of whom he appointed to his administration as Massachusetts governor.

“I oppose discrimination against gay people,” Romney told the Associated Press. “I am not anti-gay. I know there are some Republicans, or some people in the country who are looking for someone who is anti-gay and that’s not me.”

Romney made his comments after he told supporters at a campaign stop that government had no authority to tell pastors what to preach about homosexuality, although he personally would not preach that homosexuality is sinful. Romney said a leader must “respect people who made different choices and have different beliefs in their lives and have differences,” and he feels the same way about homosexuals.

The AP interview did not mention whether Romney specified any “anti-gay” Republicans he knew, but Romney’s appointments of known homosexual activists to political positions of power does concern pro-family advocates. Among these were National Log Cabin Republicans Patrick Guerriero and former Massachusetts Log Cabin president Mark Goshko.

Romney’s Secretary of the Executive Office of Transportation and Construction, Daniel Grabauskas, had previously served as head of the Registrar of Motor Vehicles, where he added a sex-change check-off box to drivers license renewal forms.

Homosexual activist Kevin Cranston also directed Romney’s HIV/AIDS Bureau in the Department of Public Health. Cranston was a co-founder of Boston Alliance for Gay and Lesbian Youth (BAGLY) and fought the CDC’s recommendation to track HIV-infected patients by name rather than anonymous ID numbers.

Romney also appointed Stephen Abany, a homosexual member of the Massachusetts Lesbian and Gay Bar Association (MLGBA), as a district judge. Abany had stated his opposition to any “anti-gay legislation” including attempts to overturn Goodridge v. Dept. of Public Health, which led to the legalization of same-sex “marriage” in Massachusetts.

Romney also told the AP that he thought it inappropriate for people in public office to express their convictions on homosexuality.

“I don’t think that a person who’s running for a secular position as I am should talk about or engage in discussions of what they in their personal faith or their personal beliefs is immoral or not immoral,” Romney told the AP.

Romney was among a chorus of political voices who condemned Gen. Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, for expressing his belief back in March that homosexual behavior, like adultery, was immoral and the military had no interest in supporting either.

“I think people are entitled to believe what they want to believe, but what they say in their official and secular roles should be an expression of tolerance and respect for people regardless of our differences,” Romney then said.

Romney has been under intense scrutiny for his previous support of the homosexual agenda, which his administration continued to aggressively fund and support even as Romney was courting social conservatives for his presidential run.

See related coverage by LifeSiteNews.com:

The Romney Report: An Analysis of Republican Mitt Romney’s Legacy on Life and Family
Part 1: Romney and his Pro-life Position
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/may/07050711.html

The Romney Report: An In-Depth Analysis of Mitt Romney’s Legacy on Life and Family Continued – Part II
Part 2: Romney’s Position and History on Same-sex “Marriage”, Civil Unions, Domestic Partnerships, “Gay” Rights
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/may/07051409.html

Gov. Romney and His Enforcement of the Pro-Same-Sex Goodridge Decision
Many conservatives repeatedly urged Gov. Romney to ignore the unconstitutional court ruling
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/may/07051511.html

Students at Pro-Gay High School Swarm Parents Protesting Homosexuality
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/may/07050402.html