Hunstman calls self 'moderating voice' on many issues

Utah Eagle Forum President Gayle Ruzicka, who has warned the Common Ground initiative could lead to gay marriage, said Huntsman has turned against his own party and misled voters who re-elected him to a second term last November.

"It's very dishonest," Ruzicka said. "All I can say to the governor is, 'Shame on you' … Legislators this time are going to have trouble trusting him in the future when he betrayed them like this."

The group behind the Common Ground initiative, Equality Utah, called the governor's support welcome but not surprising. "Gov. Huntsman has been so supportive and he just truly, I think, gets it," said Mike Thompson, Equality Utah's executive director.

Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights group, praised Huntsman's support as "hopeful and inspiring news."

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a statement saying that while the church "has not taken a specific position on the Common Ground initiative, we have tried to clearly define the principles regarding the importance of marriage and its attending issues."

The LDS Church statement said that information can be found at newsroom.lds.org.

Contributing: Aaron Falk. E-mail: lisa@desnews.com