The Republican candidate for governor of Florida, Bill McCollum, not only supports Florida’s ban on gay adoption, he wants to go further; McCollum thinks gays should also be banned from being foster parents.

McCollum told a Florida Baptist publication that state law should be changed to keep gay people from fostering. He was quoted as saying: “I really do not think that we should have homosexuals guiding our children.”

UPDATE at 8/12/10 3:05:02 pm:

As Attorney General, McCollum personally requested that anti-gay quack psychologist George “Rent Boy” Rekers be hired as an expert witness in one of the trials defending the ban on gay adoption — for which Rekers was paid over $120,000 at a rate of $300 an hour: State doubled fee paid to anti-gay psychologist in Rentboy scandal.

Anti-gay psychologist George Rekers charged Florida $300 an hour to testify as an expert witness in a trial defending Florida’s ban on gay people adopting. The state planned to cap Rekers’ fee at $60,900 — but paid him $120,693 after he exceeded his contracted hours.

“It is not unusual for estimated costs to require adjustment during the course of trial preparation,” said Sandi Copes, communications director for the Florida Attorney General’s Office. Copes said the extra hours were not agreed to in writing, but “merely by discussion.”

“A total of 402.31 hours was submitted for payment by invoice attached. Of the 402.31 hours, 203 was paid by Direct Order,” according to a 2009 state settlement agreement. ‘‘We accept responsibility for not obtaining a written document for the 199.31 remaining hours. However, the monies are legally due.”

Attorney General Bill McCollum personally requested that the state’s Department of Children & Families hire Rekers, whose national reputation shattered last week after he vacationed for two weeks in Europe with a gay male escort from Miami he met through Rentboy.com. The escort, Jo-Vanni Roman, 20, says he gave Rekers, 61, nude “sexual” massages every day during their trip in April to Madrid and London.

(Hat tip: Kragar.)