Frank Dixon, the Democratic Party of Oregon’s first vice-chair, is calling on U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Pendleton) to clarify remarks he made last week during a panel discussion on gay rights at the Center for American Progress.

“It appears as though Gordon Smith is equating gay marriage with polygamy. Senator Smith owes an explanation to me, my partner and to every Oregonian for these comments. He needs to directly address his confusing and offensive statements,” said Dixon in a press release.

The DPO first vice-chair and former president of GLBT caucus continued: “By his words, Senator Smith may be defending polygamy and suggesting that it was wrong to define marriage in the first place, but only Senator Smith can explain that for sure. If Smith is willing to speak at a forum on gay rights in Washington, D.C., surely he can explain what he was talking about to his Oregon constituents. We deserve a direct explanation. No more emailed statements from your staff, Senator Smith.”

Smith responded to Dixon in an email to PolitickerOR.com: “I was making a historical reference to a non-traditional practice of marriage that was banned by the Mormon Church. It was a clumsy and regrettable way to make the point that a definition of marriage beyond one man/one woman can have unintended consequences. I am sorry if I offended any of my friends in the gay community with this reference.”