New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg
on Friday traveled to Baltimore to urge passage of Question 6, the
ballot initiative which asks Maryland voters to uphold – or reject
– a gay marriage law approved by lawmakers.
Bloomberg joined Maryland Governor
Martin O'Malley and Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake at a
press conference held at the Four Seasons Hotel in the city's Harbor
East neighborhood.
“When two people commit their lives
to each other, government has no right standing in their way,”
Bloomberg is quoted as saying by The Baltimore Sun.
Bloomberg, considered a key ally in
legalizing such unions in New York last year, earlier this month gave
$250,000 to the campaign working for passage of Question 6.
Bloomberg also joined O'Malley in
penning an op-ed titled For
Question 6 Because We Love Maryland published Thursday in
the Sun.
“Nothing has changed [in New York],
except now thousands of committed couples, parents and their children
can enjoy the same equal protection under the law. And despite the
warnings from opponents, marriage equality has actually been good for
business in New York. New York City alone has generated an estimated
$259 million in economic impact in the first year after same-sex
marriage passed,” Bloomberg and O'Malley wrote.
“Right now in Maryland, we're hearing
the same warnings from the same opponents using the same old
playbook. Their scare tactics won't work this time, either.”
“The way forward is always found
through greater respect for the equal rights and dignity of all. And
it is this belief in treating everyone equally under the law that has
led to the surge in momentum in favor of Question 6.”