Jimmy LaSalvia, executive director of gay GOP group GOProud, has said his group backs Mitt Romney because gay people need jobs before they can marry.
GOProud was the first gay conservative group to endorse Romney for president. The GOP candidate opposes recognizing gay and lesbian couples with either civil unions or marriage.
The group's Homocon party at the Republican National Convention took place on the same day Republicans ratified a platform which supports a federal constitutional amendment defining marriage as a heterosexual union.
During a CNN appearance, Piers Morgan asked, “How can you really support a ticket which is so resolutely opposed not just to gay marriage but to most gay rights?”
“Right. I know, but look, here's the deal,” LaSalvia explained. “The answer is you gotta have a date before you get married. Everyone knows you can't get a date without a job. … Gay Americans are living in the Obama economy and that's the reality that all voters are facing when they go into the voting booth.”