Support Grows for Freedom to Marry

Four more mayors have added their names to the growing list of marriage equality supporters endorsing a new effort called Mayors for the Freedom to Marry, bringing the total to 116.

Greg Stanton of Phoenix, Mark Mallory of Cincinnati, Jim Ellison of Royal Oak, Mich., and Joe Gierlach of Nederland, Colo., recently signed the pledge to fight for marriage equality and encourage other lawmakers to take up the cause.

Already on board were mayors of the five largest cities in the U.S.: Michael Bloomberg of New York, Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles, Rahm Emanuel of Chicago, Annise Parker of Houston, and Michael Nutter of Philadelphia.

"For me, the question is not if marriage equality will come to all 50 states," Bloomberg said at a news conference earlier in the month. "The question is when, and with America's mayors standing up for what is right in their cities, I believe that day will come sooner than most people think."

According to its website, "Mayors for the Freedom to Marry is a broad-based and nonpartisan group of mayors who believe that all people should be able to share in the love and commitment of marriage."