The apology reflects Covey's need to pacify business contacts he's made in major companies that proudly do not discriminate against gay and lesbian employees. Several of such companies have expressed dismay over reports of the author's behavior.

Prior to the $100 a plate November 20 event that Save Traditional Marriage '98 hosted, Covey had been asked by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) to give serious reconsideration to his ill-considered participation.

Covey spokesman Greg Link predicted that the writer would say nothing at the dinner. Covey was quoted by two Hawaiian newspapers, however, as having told the right-wing gathering he opposed same-sex marriages.

"To me," he reportedly said, "that is a kind of natural principle for a natural law."

Human Rights Campaign communications director, David Smith, insists that a transcript of the Save Traditional Marriage '98 gabfest shows that Covey "wholeheartedly" endorsed the anti-gay political slant of the group.

Smith says that the author also offered advice to the same anti-gay group on how to achieve their goal, namely to block Hawaii's likely support—at the state's Supreme Court level-- for three same-sex couples who have sued to obtain valid marriage licenses.

Upon hearing of Covey's apology, however, HRC's Smith is reported to have said that the Human Rights Campaign perceives that "clearly Mr. Covey realizes (his dinner appearance) was a mistake," and, he added, " we appreciate the apology."

Greg Link, Covey's spokesman, told the concerned companies (two of which are reputed to be among the largest in the USA) that the author's "appearance at the event was in fact an unfortunate departure from our ongoing policy and we express our regrets. We especially regret that Dr. Covey's appearance at this event put you (the companies) and your organization in an uncomfortable position."

Link pleaded that Covey doesn't insist upon a precise makeup for any family grouping. "We don't define how a family should be formulated," he said, "Everybody's got their own makeup of what they would consider constitutes a family."

"Our bottom line," he continued, "is we shouldn't have been there. That really is not our place. Our presence at a political event gave rise to concern we were departing…throwing ourselves into heavily political issues, which we are not."