That's how it was spun. He tacitly endorsed gays in the military with a "You don't have to be straight to shoot straight statement." He defended Ronald Reagan when Reagan mentioned once that he felt too many law enforcement resources were devoted to stamping out soft drugs like marijuana. He also endorsed a local Democrat congressional nominee over a carpetbagger Republican who felt he was entitled to the seat in a Republican district. That's it.
He never endorsed special rights for any "group". His views were actually fairly consistent and libertarian over time. Lieberals like to claim they converted him. They never did.