Republican mayor of San Diego pushes for marriage equality.
WASHINGTON -- When a coalition of mayors launched a campaign to push for marriage equality a month ago, there were about 70 individuals signed on to it. Now, there are 153 involved in Mayors for Freedom to Marry, with the Republican mayor of one of the nation's largest cities serving as a co-chair.
"This is an equality issue, nothing more, nothing less," San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders (R) told The Huffington Post during a sit-down interview on Wednesday. "History is going judge us 10, 20, 30 years from now. I think it's going to be very different then. We're seeing the landscape change dramatically."
Sanders is one of just four Republicans signed on to Mayors for Freedom to Marry. The others are Mike Gin of Redondo Beach, Calif., Dennis O'Brien of Newton, Pa., and Craig Cates of Key West, Fla. Sanders said that while his party's involvement is small so far, he is confident that there are Republican mayors -- especially in smaller cities -- who will eventually come out for marriage equality.
Sanders' coming out, if you will, took a significant amount of political courage. After he announced his support for marriage equality in 2007, fighting tears at a news conference, the local Republican Party threatened to take away its endorsement of him.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/15/jerry-sanders-marriage-equality_n_1279728.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009
