Associated Press - April 23, 2009 2:25 PM ET

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Republican Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman says the state's constitutional ban on gay marriage is unclear on the issue of civil unions between gay couples.

Huntsman says he supports the traditional definition of marriage, but he also supports civil unions because he says they amount to equal rights for all of the state's residents.

When running for office in 2004, Huntsman supported the constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Since then, he's supported extending some legal rights to gay couples with little success.

Huntsman told reporters Thursday that a court will ultimately have to decide whether the state's gay marriage amendment also bans civil unions.

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