WASHINGTON — The head of the Democratic National Committee’s Gay & Lesbian Americans Caucus joined a growing number of party leaders this week in endorsing former presidential candidate Howard Dean’s bid to become the chair of the Democratic Party.

Dean, who is viewed as too liberal by party officials in the South despite a record of governing as a moderate, appeared this week to have lined up enough votes to win the Feb. 14 election. Most of his leading opponents have dropped out of the race and endorsed him.

In his role as governor of Vermont, Dean is credited with pushing through that state’s historic civil unions statute, which provides same-sex couples with all of the rights, benefits and obligations of marriage under Vermont law.

But in his unsuccessful race for president last year, Dean drew criticism from some gay activists for opposing same-sex marriage. In campaign appearances, he said he personally believes marriage must remain an institution between a man and a woman and that Congress should instead pass legislation recognizing civil unions approved by state legislatures.

Donnie Fowler, one of Dean’s opponents for DNC chair, issued a statement on the issue Wednesday through a spokesperson.

“I’m pro-gay rights, including gay marriage,” Fowler said.

Like Dean and Fowler, each of the other DNC chair candidates have said they oppose a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. None of the others have stated during the DNC chair race whether they affirmatively support same-sex marriage.

Among those who have endorsed Dean are Jeff Soref, chair of the 16-member DNC Gay & Lesbian Americans Caucus, and Ray Buckley, the gay vice chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party.

Buckley said he had been supporting Fowler, but endorsed Dean after he easily won the backing this week of the Association of State Party Chairs, an influential group within the Democratic Party. Buckley is an officer of the association.

Last month, the DNC gay caucus released a statement calling on the party to continue to stand behind the “GLBT-inclusive” planks that the party adopted in its platform at the Democratic National Convention last summer.

The gay planks, which were vetted and approved by the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry, call for full civil rights protections for gay citizens.

Although the platform language opposes a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, it avoids taking a position on whether the party supports gay marriage.

“We support full inclusion of gay and lesbian families in the life of our nation and seek equal responsibilities, benefits, and protections for these families,” the platform states.

Other sections of the platform call on Congress to pass legislation banning discrimination based on sexual orientation and call for passage of a “strong national law” to fight hate crimes. The platform does not specifically call for repealing the Pentagon’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy on gays in the military, but states, “We … believe all patriotic Americans should be allowed to serve our country without discrimination.”

In its statement, the gay caucus listed seven areas where the DNC should boost its outreach to gay voters. It called on the new party chair, for example, to “pledge to maintain and fund at least one full-time senior-level position of Director of GLBT Outreach at the DNC, whose primary responsibility will be policy and organizing.”

Outgoing DNC Chair Terry McAuliffe retained the gay outreach director’s position during his four-year tenure at the DNC.

The gay caucus statement calls for the DNC and its next chair to work for the appointment or election of more gay DNC members; to arrange for more gay representation among DNC staff and consultants; to push for more gay delegates at the 2008 Democratic National Convention; and to boost support for gay recognition in the party’s Charter & Delegate Selection Rules.

The statement also calls on the DNC to “expand activities” of the gay caucus through such means as “increased staffing, polling and research on how to motivate GLBT voters.”

Among the DNC chair candidates that dropped out of their races against Dean are former U.S. Rep. Martin Frost of Texas, who was seen as the candidate of the party’s conservative wing, and Ohio Democratic Party leader David Leland.

At press time, Dean’s remaining rivals were Fowler, former Rep. Timothy Roemer of Indiana, and moderate party activist Simon Rosenberg.

Andrew Tobias, who is gay, is running unopposed for re-election as treasurer of the DNC and was expected to easily win another term in office.