Mayors Gather In Support of Gay Marriage

Following months of anti gay sentiments from GOP candidates, the fight for equality made giant leaps today as more than 80 mayors from across the country announced their support for marriage equality.

The Advocate reports that these mayors 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.
This is an overwhelming response to years of struggling to gain national equality for the GLBT communitym and Bloomberg said he believes same-sex marraige has "only made New York stronger."

During the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington, D.C.. Bloomberg went on to add "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,"
During this morning's conference leaders from across the country gathered in support of gay marriage including Anniese Parker, Houston's first openly gay mayor, and Jerry Sanders, mayor of San Diego and a Republican member of the coalition who testified during the Proposition 8 trial in 2010. Antonio Villaraigosa, president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and acting mayor of L.A. continued to stress the need for support from D.C. and later added,"If we truly believe in family values, then we should value all families."