Washington ? He’s a Missouri Republican and an Episcopal priest, but he doesn’t think gay marriage should be banned.

Former Sen. John Danforth says a conservative push to ban gay marriage through a constitutional amendment is silly, calling it the latest example of how the political influence of evangelical Christians is hurting the GOP.

He made the comments in a speech Saturday night to the Log Cabin Republicans, which support gay rights.

The Senate is scheduled to vote in June on a constitutional amendment that its supporters hope will head off any decision in the federal courts that could legalize gay marriage.