Vegas, Dallas Mayors Face Pressure to Sign Pro-Marriage Pledge

While some of the nation's mayors won the gratitude of LGBT constituents for signing a public statement this month backing same-sex marriage, others, like mayors from Las Vegas and Dallas, are catching scorn for not joining the movement.

More than 80 mayors, including Chicago's Rahm Emanuel and New York's Mike Bloomberg, announced they were joining Mayors for the Freedom to Marry and supporting marriage equality during the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington, D.C., January 20.

In Las Vegas, Mayor Carolyn Goodman has so far apparently ducked questions on whether she intends to sign the pledge. Local lawmakers are urging her to sign because skipping it could harm LGBT tourism to the city, according to an op-ed in QVegas written by the chair of the Nevada Stonewall Democratic Caucus, Derek Washington, who is pressing the issue.

The Dallas Voice was quick to point out that that city's mayor, Mike Rawlings, has refused to sign the pledge, making it the largest city in the nation not to support the statement. Rawlings told the Voice that although he "personally" supports marriage equality, it's not something that directly affects city government, so he's staying on the sidelines.

Some residents were so incensed by Rawlings's decision that they planned to protest a Meet the Mayor gathering, which the mayor then skipped. Of course, that only made them more angry. See their reaction in the video below.