Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
is the latest politician to join the Human Rights Campaign's (HRC)
Americans for Marriage Equality campaign.
“I believe gays and lesbians should
be afforded the same fundamental rights as all Americans: to love
whomever they choose and to proclaim that love with marriage,”
Villaraigosa said in a video released Thursday. “I believe telling
LGBT couples they can't marry is not only wrong, it goes against our
fundamental values as a nation.” (The video is embedded in the
right panel of this page. Visit
our video library for more videos.)
Villaraigosa also co-chairs the group
Mayors
for the Freedom to Marry along with Mayors Mike Bloomberg of New
York City, Thomas M. Menino of Boston, Annise Parker of Houston and
Jerry Sanders of San Diego.
(Related: Antonio
Villaraigosa supports adding gay marriage to platform; Obama campaign
mum.)
Recent contributors to Americans for
Marriage Equality include actors and real-life married couple Meghan
Mullally and Nick Offerman, actor Stanley
Tucci, actress Kristen
Bell, singer Jason
Mraz, The Talk co-host Aisha
Tyler, Cleveland Browns linebacker Scott
Fujita, Pariah's Kim
Wayans and Dee Rees (the film's star and writer-director),
Precious star Mo'Nique,
The Good Wife's Josh
Charles, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon
Ayanbedejo, the Rev.
Al Sharpton, Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd
Blankfein, Washington Governor Chris
Gregoire, Minnesota Senator Al
Franken and Julian
Bond, chairman emeritus of the National Association for the
advancement of Colored People (NAACP).