Massachusetts
governor says he opposes antigay discrimination

Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney said Monday he opposes discrimination against gays and lesbians despite his ongoing efforts to outlaw same-sex marriage in the state. Romney, who is preparing for a possible run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, defended a letter he wrote during his unsuccessful 1994 Senate run in which he promised a gay Republican group that he would be a stronger advocate for gays than Sen. Edward Kennedy. Romney said there was nothing inconsistent between his position then and his vigorous opposition to same-sex marriage in Massachusetts now. "I'm not in favor of discrimination of any kind, including people who have a different sexual preference than myself," he said. "At the same time I'm very committed to traditional marriage between one man and one woman and believe that marriage should be preserved in that way." (AP)