WASHINGTON (BP) -- Eighty mayors, led by ones from some of the nation's largest and most-influential cities, have signed a document pledging to fight for legalizing gay "marriage."
The mayors of New York City, Boston, Houston, San Diego and Los Angeles are co-chairs of the Mayors for the Freedom to Marry coalition, which also includes the mayors of Portland, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Chicago, Denver, Cleveland, Kansas City and Philadelphia.
"We are honored to lead this bipartisan group of mayors who support ending marriage discrimination at all levels of government," the co-chairs said in a statement. "While we will each have different strategies for pursuing that end, we all agree on the goal: securing the freedom to marry and upholding equal rights for all citizens. We are a diverse group of mayors -- from cities in Kansas, Indiana and West Virginia, to the four largest cities in America. Our cities are culturally, racially and geographically diverse, but we share one important value: a common commitment to fairness."
Traditional groups warn that legalizing gay "marriage" will harm religious freedom, and they point to a series of recent legal cases, including ones in which Catholic adoption agencies in Massachusetts and Illinois chose to stop doing business with the state instead of being forced to place children in same-sex homes. Massachusetts had legalized gay "marriage," Illinois civil unions. Traditionalists also warn that redefining marriage could impact what is taught in public schools and could affect the tax exempt status of religious organizations.
Following is the complete list of mayors who signed the statement:
Michael Bloomberg - New York, N.Y. (Chair)
Thomas Menino - Boston, Mass. (Chair)
Annise Parker - Houston, Texas (Chair)
Jerry Sanders - San Diego, Calif. (Chair)
Antonio Villaraigosa - Los Angeles, Calif. (Chair)
Samuel Adams - Portland, Ore.
Tom Barrett - Milwaukee, Wis.
Tom Bates - Berkeley, Calif.
William Bell - Durham, N.C.
David Berger - Lima, Ohio
Richard Bloom - Santa Monica, Calif.
Cory Booker - Newark, N.J.
Bruce Botelho - Juneau, Alaska
Ardell Brede - Rochester, Minn.
Christopher Cabaldon - W. Sacramento, Calif.
John Callahan - Bethlehem, Pa.
Stephen Cassidy - San Leandro, Calif.
Julian Castro - San Antonio, Texas
Craig Cates - Key West, Fla.
Mark Chilton - Carrboro, N.C.
Joshua Cohen - Annapolis, Md.
Chris Coleman - St. Paul, Minn.
Dennis Coombs - Longmont, Colo.
Joy Cooper - Hallandale Beach, Fla.
Frank Cownie - Des Moines, Iowa
Aron Cromwell - Lawrence, Kan.
John DeStefano - New Haven, Conn.
Daniel T. Drew - Middletown, Conn.
John Duran - West Hollywood, Calif.
Pa.ul Dyster - Niagara Falls, N.Y.
Jennifer Eckstrom - S. Tucson, Ariz.