US
Presidential Election 2012
 |
| Mitt Romney attended the school for six years - including when his father was Michigan governor |
Presumptive
US Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney has apologised for school
"pranks" after a report he bullied a classmate thought to be gay.
The Washington Post reported that in 1965 Mr Romney held down a younger student and
cut off his hair.
Mr Romney
said that he did not remember the incident, but apologised for "hijinks
and pranks" that "may have gone too far".
A campaign
spokeswoman called the report "exaggerated and off-base".
The Post
interviewed five former classmates of Mr Romney about his time as a student at
the Cranbrook School outside of Detroit, Michigan.
The
classmates said Mr Romney objected to a younger student's bleached blond,
longer hair.
According
to the report the young man, John Lauber, was "perpetually teased for his
nonconformity and presumed homosexuality".
"I
don't remember that incident," Mr Romney told Fox News during a radio
interview.
"I
certainly don't believe that I thought the fellow was homosexual. That was the
furthest thing from our minds back in the 1960s, so that was not the
case."
Mr Lauber
died in 2004, according to the Post.
Mixed
record
Gay rights
have become a national issue in recent days, with President Barack Obama
confirming on Wednesday that he personally supports the idea of same-sex
marriage.
His
comments followed fulsome support from Vice-President Joe Biden on Sunday.
After Mr
Obama's statement, Mitt Romney quickly moved to state his opposition to
same-sex marriage and civil unions.
According
to his campaign, Mr Romney supports a federal constitutional amendment against
gay marriage or civil unions.
However, Mr
Romney had a mixed record on the issue during his time as governor of
Massachusetts.
During his
gubernatorial campaign Mr Romney defended some gay rights. After he was
elected, though, he spoke out against gay marriage when courts made it legal in
the state.
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