LITTLE ROCK (AP) – Democratic gubernatorial nominee Mike Beebe said he supports reinstating a ban on gay foster parents partly because of a stigma he says children may face if they are raised by gays and lesbians.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Beebe – the state’s attorney general – said he doesn’t believe allowing gay people to become foster parents would be in the best interest of the children.

“The best interest of the child, in my opinion, is not to support gay foster parents,” Beebe said.

The Arkansas Supreme Court on June 29 struck down the state’s ban on gay foster parents and Beebe said the day after the ruling that he opposed allowing gay people to foster children.

“It’s an issue of what’s in the best interest of the child and what children go through in today’s society, including but not limited to stigma,” Beebe said.

Beebe was interviewed on Oct. 10 at the AP’s office in Little Rock, and the AP interviewed Republican nominee Asa Hutchinson on Oct. 9. Independent candidate Rod Bryan and Green Party nominee Jim Lendall also appear on the Nov. 7 ballot.

The Stonewall Democratic Club of Arkansas, a gay-advocacy group, this year withdrew its endorsement of Beebe because the attorney general returned a check the organization had sent to support his campaign.

The club’s president said the group felt misled by Beebe after he said he would support efforts to ban gays from becoming foster parents.

Beebe’s spokesperson had denied a report that Beebe met with members of the group to talk about the returned check and told them he was committed to trying to prevent any measure banning gay people or unmarried couples from being foster parents.

Beebe said he told the group he would not support any legislation that would be found “unconstitutionally discriminatory.”

“Discrimination exists to some extent in all parts of our lives. The question is, is it discrimination that rises to the level of being unconstitutional?” Beebe said. “What I said is I won’t support any legislation that’s unconstitutional, and I won’t.”

Beebe wouldn’t speculate on whether society would reach a point where there wouldn’t be a stigma associated with gay people as foster parents.

And even though a stigma was once associated with interracial couples, Beebe said he wouldn’t support banning them from becoming foster parents.

“The truth of the matter is our society evolves over time,” Beebe said. “They change and people change.”

Beebe, an Episcopalian, said he disagrees with his church’s decision to bestow formal blessings on same-sex couples. The Right Rev. Larry Maze, bishop of the 14,000-member Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas, told clergy in a letter this year that such blessings are OK.

The ceremonies allow for local observances in each church, not approved formal rites. Arkansas has banned same-sex marriage, so same-sex couples will have no legal standing in the state.

“I’ve been fairly vocal about the fact that I think that marriage is between a man and a woman, and I think the majority of my church believes that as well,” Beebe said.

Beebe said he doesn’t see a difference between civil unions and same-sex marriage and said he doesn’t see civil unions coming to Arkansas.

“I see marriage as a sacred institution,” Beebe said. “I don’t know what somebody else’s definition of a civil union is, but we certainly don’t have that in Arkansas.”