Gay Mass. Congressional Contender Skips GOP Convention

BOSTON - Republican congressional candidate Richard Tisei (tih-SAY') says he will skip this weekend's state GOP convention because of the socially conservative platform the party's state committee adopted.

Tisei, who is gay and married and also supports abortion rights, tells The Boston Globe he doesn't "feel comfortable being at a convention where the platform takes the party backward, rather than forward."

Tisei us trying to unseat Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. John Tierney in the state's 6th Congressional District.

The majority of the 80-member Republican State Committee approved a platform last month that says the party will "affirm the inherent dignity of human life," and "the institution of traditional marriage strengthens society."

Steve Aylward, a committee member who voted for the platform, called Tisei's decision "surprising for someone who's always talking about inclusion."