Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.), in an op-ed published Wednesday in the New England LGBT-oriented newspaper Bay Windows, declined to name policies he would support for the gay community but instead focused on how he would fix the economy.
"I don’t come before you with a checklist of items promising that I will be an advocate for you on each and every one of them," wrote Brown. He then took a shot at his likely Democratic opponent, Harvard Law Professor Elizabeth Warren, who is tied with him in the polls. "My opponent has already started down that road, promising to support everyone’s pet project. That’s not the way I have ever operated."
"But I will go to work for you on the most important issue facing us -- getting this bad economy working again and creating jobs," he wrote. He then touted his record on job creation in the Senate.
Brown said he listened to both sides on the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy and decided to vote for repealing the policy, which he did along with seven other Republicans.
In a recent interview with Piers Morgan on CNN, Brown called same-sex marriage "settled law" in Massachusetts and said "everybody's moved on." "It's debt, deficit, taxes, spending, jobs, national security. We've moved on. I encourage everyone else to move on. It should be decided state by state basis. I’m focusing on those other things," said Brown.
Brown declined to participate in an "It Gets Better" video in 2011 with the state's congressional delegation, according to The Huffington Post's Amanda Terkel.
By contrast, Warren specifically supports repealing the Defense of Marriage Act and passing an Employee Non-Discrimination Act. When asked whether she would like to see President Obama support same-sex marriage, she said to the Washington Blade, "I want to see the president evolve because I believe that is right; marriage equality is morally right."
Massachusetts is far more supportive of same-sex marriage than other states, being the first state to legalize the practice in 2004. A recent Public Policy Polling survey showed that 58 percent of Massachusetts voters think same-sex marriage should be legal and 67 percent thought that the legalization of gay marriage hadn't made any impact at all on their lives.
"Finally, let me say this: I believe all people should be treated with dignity and respect," wrote Brown. "I recognize the liberty of every citizen to live as they choose, and it is from this diversity that we derive our strength as a nation."