The governor of Puerto Rico said that he would sanction a ballot initiative vote on same-sex marriage, according to the Puerto Rico Daily Sun.

Gov. Luis Fortuño made the announcement Friday to a group of religious leaders at the Nueva Cosecha Church in Carolina, Puerto Rico. He also vowed to stop the legal age of consent from being lowered to 14 from 16 years, as has been proposed by some political leaders.

According to the report, Fortuño's remarks came as he was pleading for help from religious groups in reducing hate crimes on the island. Though gay marriage is legally banned in Puerto Rico, antigay groups want a constitutional amendment to solidify the law.

Pedro Julio Serrano, communications manager for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, blasted Fortuño's plans.

"It is inconceivable for a governor to support having one group of citizens abused against a minority," he said, according to the report. "As the world moves towards the recognition of same-sex rights, just as Portugal did, in granting today same-sex marriage, in Puerto Rico we want to perpetuate injustice and discrimination."