Mayor Mitch Ward of Manhattan Beach, California announced today that he officially endorses Restore Equality 2010’s efforts to bring marriage equality back to the ballot in 2010.
“I am fully committed to full civil rights for all California citizens,” said Mayor Ward. This includes the right to marriage equality for those of us in the LGBT community.”
Mayor Ward is quite familiar with discrimination. He was born in Southern Arkansas, and he attended segregated schools in his early years. His father even served in a segregated Army. As an African American, he knows all too well, that separate is never equal. Mitch first met his partner, Bruce, in New York City in 1989, and they moved to Manhattan Beach around 1991. Over their more than 2 decades together they have had to deal with the legal obstacles of having no rights as a couple to now having some. Even married, they are still denied 1138 rights from the Federal government alone.
“The destructive nature of rendering one group of California Americans as second class citizens goes far contrary to the intent of our nation's founding fathers. As a Mayor and elected official I have always stood for equal representation and treatment amongst all groups. That is why I stand strongly with thousands of others demanding full marriage equality and full civil rights for all LGBT Californians.”
When asked about his feelings on the LGBT organizations advocating to delay the marriage equality fight until 2012, Mayor Ward responded by quoting the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. "Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed, he said. “Frankly, I have yet to engage in a campaign that was ‘well timed’ in the eyes of those who have not suffered unduly.”
Restore Equality 2010 has recently released a petition for people that agree with Mayor Ward, and feel that the community should support marriage equality now. Click HERE to sign the petition and tell organizations not to delay equal rights to the LGBT community.
Mayor Ward isn't the only mayor to publically announce his support for same-sex marriage. San Francisco Mayor, Gavin Newsom once made national headlines with his support for marriage equality when he started issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples back in 2004. Republican Mayor Jerry Sanders of San Diego also made national headlines when he supported marriage equality in the Federal trial against Proposition 8. Who do you think will be the next high profile politician to come out in support of same-sex marriage? Leave your comments below.
Restore Equality 2010 is the grassroots campaign dedicated to passing a constitutional amendment in 2010 that guarantees marriage equality for all Californians.
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