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In the [1994] interview, Romney emphasized that he would be an advocate for gay civil rights. And he offered some surprisingly thoughtful reasons for his positions — surprising only because of his demagoguing on gay rights today. He tied his willingness to advocate for the rights of gay people, for instance, to the Mormon concept of “free agency”: “When I speak of free agency, I don’t just mean that each person can do what they want to do, I mean that our society should allow people to make their own choices and live by their own beliefs,” said Romney. “People of integrity don’t force their beliefs on others, they make sure that others can live by different beliefs they may have. That’s the great thing about this country: it was founded to allow people to follow beliefs of their own conscience. I will work and have worked to fight discrimination and to assure each American equal opportunity.”

Romney also stated his opposition to Republican stalwart Sen. Jesse Helms’s attempt in 1994 to pass an amendment to an education bill that would have prevented the portrayal of homosexuality as “a positive lifestyle alternative,” calling it “a dangerous precedent.” “I would have opposed that. It also grossly misunderstands the gay community by insinuating that there’s an attempt to proselytize a gay lifestyle on the part of the gay community. I think it’s wrong-headed and unfortunate and hurts the party by being identified with the Republican Party.” This from a man who now complains about the reading of gay-themed books like King and King in the classroom.
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