In her run for governor of California, former eBay CEO Meg Whitman wants to talk about the economy. But the GOP candidate's pro-business, small-government agenda keeps getting derailed by her big gay problem.

Watch how Whitman dude Mitch Zak, a Republican operative, interrupted a perfectly nice ladychat between ladyblog WowOwow's Randi Bernfeld and Whitman ladyfundraiser Jillian Manus to explain Whitman's stance on Proposition 8, California's gay marriage ban which voters passed last November:

Randi: I'm a little confused about one issue: Regarding Whitman's stance on Proposition 8 and gay marriage. She is against gay marriage but supports civil unions. Can you speak on that?


Mitch: I can help you on that one. Yes, she voted for Proposition 8, and to her that was a matter of her faith and her personal convictions. She does believe the term "marriage" should belong to the union of a man and a woman. But that said, she is absolutely a strong supporter of civil unions and it's evident by her leadership at eBay. It was tremendously inclusive in that regard. The one other distinction that she made is that the folks who were legally married when the law was in California, those folks should stay married.

Randi: I see.

Mitch: So it's not their fault that the law was what it was.

Many of eBay's numerous gay and lesbian employees are still steaming over Whitman's newfound opposition to same-sex marriage, which they believe has more to do with political opportunism than Whitman's religious faith, something she never mentioned even to close workplace confidants in her years at eBay. And it's hardly a popular cause among the demographic Manus, chair of Whitman's Women's Coalition, will target: White women opposed Proposition 8, 53 percent to 47 percent. That's probably Whitman's best defense for continuing to claim that her opposition to gay marriage is a matter of personal faith, not political expediency: It doesn't seem like a sure-fire vote-getter.