Billl White, a prominent, openly-gay Mitt Romney donor, has decided to pull his support for the governor and is now backing President Barack Obama.
"I feel that I no longer wish to support your presidential campaign and ask that you please return the maximum contribution that I gave to you last year," White wrote in a letter addressed to Romney that CNN obtained.
White, who had donated $2500 to the Romney campaign, is the chairman and CEO of the New York-based consulting firm Constellations Group. He was the president of the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum.
It was Romney's commencement address at Liberty University last Saturday that was the turning point for White.
"...to a packed stadium of young college students you made the following statement that 'Marriage is only between one man and one woman,'" White wrote. "I believe that you will do as you now say and try to force a constitutional amendment which would attempt to make my own legal and blessed marriage null and void."
In fact, White had never planned on supporting Obama until the president came out in support of same-sex marriage. White said he felt that Romney "had declared war" on his marriage to Joseph Eure. "And I could just sit back and not say anything. Or I could do something about it. And I've chosen to do something about it."
White is a registered independent and has donated money to both President Bushes and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Reuters reports. He doesn't consider himself an activist, "But I am married and that’s that. You should be able to marry who you love.”
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Why not?
i do think the tide will start shifting.
Why would a gay person donate to Mitt Romney in the first place?! Oh well, better late than never.
Prominent donor? 2500 Really come on when hear prominent or major donor I'm Sheldon Adelson or Foster Friess.......you know someone who donated a lot of money. Now 2500 may be larger than the average donation to a campaign before citizens united but with all the talk and attention to the corporate shadow groups and donors funding superpacs this isn't much of a story
So wait a second..
White donated money to Bush, then donated money to Hilary Clinton while she was running for Presidency in 2008, and now that the President is Barack Obama and Hilary is his Secretary of State, instead of backing the President where Hilary has been doing a fantastic job as SoS, he decided to donate money to MITT ROMNEY?? hah! What was so wrong with Barack Obama and all his policies to better the LGBT community for the last 3yrs that White could not donate money to President Obama PRIOR to Mitt telling the gays a big EFF U to their face at Liberty University?? haha Some Americans are so stupid!
Right !!!!
No white is not stupid...he is a despicable racist......and oh well he is stupid too.. for being a racist.
Bravo for him for standing up for his rights! The President of the United States serves all who are in this country and Romney's speech at the college drew the line in the soil in this nation. He made it very clear his thoughts on the subject and there fore would continue to if elected continue the hateful rhetoric toward the LGBT community. If the President of the United states does not listen to calls for change he is apart of the problem and not the solution. Vote for someone who cares about all of America Obama/ Bidden
Let's face it... Romney hasn't refunded someone's money that he took in his life! His career at Bain consisted if squeezing ecery dime out pf people who trysted him...
Why should homosexuals be any different?
What do say we all give MD/MI first crack at the poll question?
We can't stop the Supreme Courts ruling. But we can do this!
http://www.change.org/petitions/major-media-companies-stop-accepting-money-from-superpacs
Campaign contributions notwithstanding, I bristled thinking about sitting in the audience of a college commencement when a politician speaks about Marriage Equality? Romney's statement to college grads was un-inspiring. Didn't Romney get a briefing about what commencement speeches are supposed to say? Graduates are supposed to hear "go into the world and reach for the stars"....instead, the Virginia Christian college graduates heard a political statement.
julie,
it was a political statement. mitt will take every opportunity to "prove" he is a "christian" to feed his base.
why waste a perfectly good opportunity?
Well this a neo-conservative evangelical only "college" so....Romney has only one core value and that is the fact that he's running for office and would like our votes. Everything is some political speech for Mitt. Although this is an interesting thread because at this school they teach courses on mormonism as an evil cult. So why Mitt wants to go where he's not wanted who knows? Same to be said about gay republicans.
Enough of the debate in regards to same sex marriage. We all have heard the story of the 3 Hebrew boys and king in the Bible and the faith; well, this is where HOMOSEXUALITY STARTED. The church has MORE MEN AND WOMEN WHO ARE ON THE DOWN-LOW. Like I said enough, make it LEGAL, so we can stop the SPREAD OF SEXUAL DISEASES . Good job for being 1st in taking a stand President Obama!
Mr.,
i agree, and well said.
Same sex marriage and sexually transmitted diseases have nothing to do with each other. Legalizing same sex marriage is not going to do anything to reduce the spread of STD's, that just doesn't make any sense.
In the same sex marriage issue? I question that it should be an issue at all. Marriage should not be a matter for government to decide or to allow or to make laws about. Marriage is part of our desire to make an emotional commitment to one person. This is a matter of the heart. What makes it a matter of law is when there is divorce that them for some unknown reason, which I call selfishness, it becomes a matter for the courts. And it is said that when there is divorce the emotions have to become totally without weight.
So, we have made a big deal of marriage when it is just a matter of who this person love and to whom this person want to make a commitment. Government should stay away from this issue and declare all unions or commitments legal.
Is it religious? I did not see any thing coming from God's mouth about marriage. The Bible relates events and how God deal with man about those events. Sure, God gave laws to the Israelites because He needed them to stay with Him until Jesus was born. But to look and obey one law or two just to satisfy our prejudices is not only stupid but may be offending God. There are so many laws they were to obey. The Sabbath law of no work, The law of lending without interest, the law of gleaning, and the law of circumcision. God only have a couple of requirements and they are not burdensome against our happiness. It is TO LOVE HIM WITH ALL OUR MIGHT AND TO LOVE OUR NEIGHBORS AS OURSELVES. So simple. Live and let live. Let Him, who has the right to judge, judge.
If you are an employer, pay well, give benefits. The Bible say, that the poor not be so poor that he will pray against us, or the rich be so rich that they will forget about God. So, as long as you do not infringe in the rights of others to exercise their freewill without hurting or stumbling anyone, you are doing alright.
When Jesus comes back He will do at Mathew 25: 31-46 says. Will we pass the test? I will try, by using my vote to encourage those who want to do just that.
Something else, Did God really destroyed Sodom because of sodomy. No, but because they were practicing hurtful things. They were hurting each other in many ways. As sodomy was practiced all over those nation way before Sodom and Gomorrah existed.
I think if you look at the full ABC interview with the President that's what he said; that he didn't believe it was the job of government to intervene, and that his would only intervene to oppose a Constitutional ban on gay marriage (i.e. intervening to maintain the status quo) and that the issue should be left not to the Federal Government but to the 50 States - now forgive me for being slightly dumb, but I thought that was the bedrock of the whole right-wing/Tea Party philosophy, but I guess only when they agree with it, after that they're just the same meddling morons that have dominated the political establishment for so long
Mr. White is doing what he feels is the right thing to do and other gay republicans should read the article and support President Obama. They need to understand that Romney will take away all rights for gay and lesbian people of this country...We cannot allow him to get into the White House.
That's the trouble with Independents, they sit on the fence, waiting to see which candidate will work out better for them. They haven't figured out if they are making less than $500,000 a year they should be voting Dem. Although, even if I was rich, I couldn't vote for an uncaring, selfish, cold-hearted Repub, that doesn't give a d@mn about his fellow man or the environment, and I can't understand how anyone else could, either!
A LOTS OF PPLE VOTE 4 THE WRONG REASON...
Romney changed his stance AGAIN on gay marriage this morning:
check out OMGG.com to see what Romney said now!
Marriage was intended traditionally as the contract to form a family to raise children by their biological mother and father .. IMO that is the most important aspect of marriage and the government should not take action that diminishes the opportunity of a child to be raised by his own mother and father ..
What if Mike and Bob adopted him?
Number 5 of the 14 Defining Characteristcs of Fascism- 5. Rampant Sexism – The governments of Fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male – dominated. Under Fascists regimes, traditional gender roles are made more ridged. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the family institution.
Right to life, making abortion illegal in all cases, life begins at conception, no gay marriage. Any of this sound familiar? It has been in the news for months. America was founded on individual freedoms and unalienable rights; you can’t pray the gay away and you can’t legislate conscience. So stop trying.
The GOP isn't even being subtle about their fascist platform.
Nuber 8 of the 14 Definng Characteristics of Fascism- 8. Religion and Government are Intertwined – Governments in Fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed.
Was the United States founded on Christian Religion? Was the United States Founded on Religious FREEDOM? I do believe the latter to be true. For people who claim to be Christian and Faithful show nothing but intolerance and persecution.
Religion and politics should not and do not mix. Government + Religion = STATE CHUCH, Seperation of Church and State. Laws based on Theological beliefs which create casts of people or inequality are unconstitutional and should be stricken.
I congratulate Mr. White. I as well could never support a candidate who hides in his magic underwear.
Prominent??? Major donor?????? This is news? GMFB.....MSNBC is a predictable tool.