By that, he meant a February 2003 statement by LDS Church spokesman Dale Bills, who said the church did not oppose a hate-crimes bill then under consideration.

The church abhors hate crimes and its opposition to same-gender marriage should never be interpreted "as justification for hatred, intolerance or abuse of those who profess homosexual tendencies either individually or as a group," Bills added.

Litvack said no matter what their faith may be, "it's people's interpretation of their particular religion — that they feel that somehow supporting this legislation with the inclusion of sex orientation violates some kind of principles of their faith" that is the problem.

"And I think that goes beyond just the LDS faith."

Shepard then backpedaled.

"I'd have to agree with that," she said. "He explained it much better than I."

Another reporter asked what had prompted her to single out the LDS Church. "I was doing the really, totally, not good thing, lumping them all together," she said.

That's not a good thing to do, Shepard repeated.

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