From The Advocate:
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The list of Mayors is here
Mayors Commit to Bring Marriage Equality to Cities
By Nick VisserThey pledged their support as part of the launch of a new effort called Mayors for the Freedom to Marry. Included are mayors of the five largest U.S. cities: Michael Bloomberg of New York, Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles, Rahm Emanuel of Chicago (who was not at the news conference but signed the pledge), Annise Parker of Houston, and Michael Nutter of Philadelphia.
All of the mayors have signed a pledge to fight for marriage equality and encourage other lawmakers to take up the cause.
After New York enacted marriage equality last year, Bloomberg said the freedom to marry in the state has “only made New York stronger,” and extending that right to all American citizens is only a matter of time.
“For me, the question is not if marriage equality will come to all 50 states. The question is when, and with America’s mayors standing up for what is right in their cities, I believe that day will come sooner than most people think,” he said at the news conference, which was held during the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington, D.C..
Bloomberg said he would welcome President Obama speaking out unequivocally on marriage equality. So far, Obama has said only that his views on the issue are “evolving.”
Villaraigosa, president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, emphasized the need to set aside partisan divisions, saying “the more support we build in our cities and states, the stronger the case we can make for extending the freedom to marry.”
“I’ve often said in L.A. that it doesn’t matter who your father is ... and hopefully soon, it won’t matter if you have two of them,” he said. “If we truly believe in family values, then we should value all families.”
Parker, Houston’s first openly gay mayor, spoke of the obstacles she’s had to navigate with her partner without the legal right to marry. They have three adopted children, and she said they’ve had to face discriminatory custody and insurance challenges.
“One simple change would have a tremendous difference in the lives of my family and the lives of millions of Americans,” Parker said. “By telling my family and my kids that they are not second-class Americans, you can build a stronger America.”
Jerry Sanders, mayor of San Diego and a Republican member of the coalition who testified during the Proposition 8 trial in 2010, said that while he wasn’t always a supporter of marriage equality, his views have shifted, and in regard to same-sex relationships, “there’s no such thing as fair enough.”
“I cannot look anyone in the face and tell them that their relationship is any less meaningful than my marriage to my wife,” Sanders said.
Marilyn Strickland, mayor of Tacoma, Wash., said mainstream support for marriage equality extends to the Pacific Northwest. Latest tallies show only one vote separates a marriage equality bill from passage in the state senate, which would make Washington the seventh state in the nation to allow same-sex marriage, plus the District of Columbia. Strickland took time at the beginning of her speech to look directly into cameras and ask state senators wavering on the issue to “please stand up, please do the right thing, and please pass marriage equality.”
“Everyone knows what it means when you tell them that you’re married,” she said. “Being married is fun, it’s awesome. It’s something that every American couple should have the chance to do.”
Marc Solomon, Freedom to Marry’s national campaign director, said the coalition provided an opportunity to join together “passionate and tireless advocates and champions for the freedom to marry.”
From Freedom to Marry:
The link is here
Bipartisan “Mayors for the Freedom to Marry” launches
Jan 20, 2012 at 09:00 am
Today we're excited to announce the launch of Mayors for the Freedom to Marry, a bipartisan coalition of 75+ Mayors who pledge to support marriage for gay and lesbian couples! You may have first heard about this impressive coalition of Mayors a few days ago when the Wall Street Journal broke the story that Mayors of some of America's largest cities were joining together to support the freedom to marry.
The coalition will officially launch this morning at 10am, as Freedom to Marry and a handful of notable Mayors host a press conference at the 80th annual U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington D.C. Participants at today's press conference include: Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa of Los Angeles; Mayor Jerry Sanders of San Diegol Mayor Thomas M. Menino of Boston; Mayor Annise Parker of Houston; Mayor Marilyn Strickland of Tacoma; Marc Solomon, our National Campaign Director here at Freedom to Marry; and Tom Cochran, U.S. Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director.
Mayors for the Freedom to Marry includes mayors from cities and towns—large and small—with diverse geographic, ethnic and political backgrounds. The list includes the mayors of America’s four largest cities—Michael Bloomberg of New York, Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles, Rahm Emanuel of Chicago, and Annise Parker of Houston. It also includes mayors from cities including Juneau, Alaska; Des Moines, Iowa; Bloomington, Indiana; and Lewiston, Maine, where the freedom to marry may go to the ballot in 2012. You can click here to view the full list of Mayors.
We think that this coalition will truly be a game-changer in growing and demonstrating nationwide support for the freedom to marry. Marc Solomon, our National Campaign Director, released this statement this morning:
“We’re launching this effort at a time when more Americans than ever support the freedom to marry. When New York ended its exclusion of gay couples from marriage this summer, the number of people living in states that treat all committed couples equally more than doubled—from 16 million to 35 million Americans. Marriage is on the march in towns and cities across the nation and these mayors will play an important role in advancing the cause.”
San Diego's Republican Mayor Jerry Sanders- a chair of Mayors for the Freedom to Marry- explains beautifully why he has signed on to the effort:
Allowing loving and committed couples to join in marriage has benefits not just for couples and their families—but also for society. Marriage encourages people to take responsibility for each other, provides greater security for children, and helps our country live up to its promises set forth in our founding documents. These are important values for a strong society, and we should encourage them.”
Be sure to follow Freedom to Marry on Facebook and Twitter (using the #Mayors4M hashtag) this morning for live updates from the press conference!
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