Nearly 300 U.S. mayors have pledged to
support the legalization of gay marriage.
As it marks its first anniversary, the
group Mayors for the Freedom to Marry has added 211 members since it
launched with 80 mayors last January.
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, who recently
joined the group, told The Huffington Post that he previously
believed civil unions were good enough for gay and lesbian couples.
“For most of my political career I
would have been ahead of my time in supporting gay and lesbian
issues,” he said. “There's a difference between civil unions and
the rights that come with marriage. For many years I didn't believe
there was a difference.”
Reed said the group “helps to create
a space in time and an environment where more and more people in more
conservative parts of the United States can come, over time, to the
conclusion that I did.”
Mayors for the Freedom to Marry is
co-chaired by Mayors Michael Bloomberg of New York City, Thomas M.
Menino of Boston, Annise Parker of Houston and Antonio Villaraigosa
of Los Angeles.