Mitt Romney's and Rick Santorum's gay rights statements have been called out by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest gay rights advocate.

Romney and Santorum said during Sunday's NBC News-Facebook GOP presidential debate that they are opposed to discrimination based on sexual orientation.

“I made it very clear we should not discriminate in hiring policies, in legal policies,” Romney answered when asked about his 1994 statement in support of gay rights.

Santorum echoed a similar sentiment, but added that he opposes gay marriage and the adoption of children by gay couples.

HRC took exception to the comments in a statement released after the debate.
“Both Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum have signed the National Organization for Marriage's extremist anti-LGBT pledge,” the group said. “According to the pledge, Romney and Santorum, if elected, would set-up a McCarthy-like commission to investigate alleged incidents of 'harassment' against NOM's supporters, defend the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), push for a federal marriage amendment and appoint anti-gay judges.”

“Romney's record on protections for LGBT Americans does not match his rhetoric,” the group added, noting that the GOP candidate opposes federal workplace protections for gay workers and repeal of “Don't Ask, Don't Tell.”

The group added that Santorum's anti-gay “vitriol has become his life's work.”