US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney reportedly wanted a gay man to lead his political campaign, it was revealed yesterday (16 September).

According to Politico.com, the anti-gay politician made reported pleas to Ken Mehlman, the manager of George W Bush’s re-election campaign in 2004.

Mehlman, who drove voters to the polls by focusing on anti-gay marriage legislation, came out in 2010.

GOProud, a gay conservative group, said Thursday (9 August) that it will be holding an event called Homocon 2012 during the Republican National Convention later this month.

The group, which says it seeks to promote freedom by supporting free markets, limited government and a respect for individual rights, has pushed for inclusion in Republican and conservative circles since 2009.

Richard Grenell, who briefly worked as Mitt Romney's campaign spokesman on national security issues, says he left the job after just a few weeks because his being gay had quickly become too much of a distraction.

He says he was being attacked by both sides of the political aisle.

Bryan Fischer is no fan of consistency.

The American Family Association spokesman was extremely upset when Gov. Mitt Romney picked Richard Grenell to be his foreign policy spokesman.

'Romney picks out [and] loud gay as a spokesman. If personnel is policy, his message to the pro-family community: drop dead,' Fischer noted on his Twitter feed, as reported by Buzz Feed.

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney says Richard Grenell, who briefly worked as his spokesman on national security issues, was not driven out of his job by the Romney campaign.

Grenell had served as George W. Bush's spokesman at the United Nations and was under fire from social conservatives because he is gay.

Mitt Romney's opposition to gay marriage did not stop him from hiring openly gay Richard Grenell as his presidential campaign's foreign policy spokesman.

But the arrangement lasted just two weeks with Grenell submitting his resignation to the presumptive Republican nominee on Tuesday (1 April).