A national slew of mayors agree: Same-sex marriage is good for cities, good for their communities, and good for their economies.
From around the country, more than a hundred mayors have signed the “Mayors for the Freedom to Marry' statement, a bipartisan effort to get mayoral support for the cause. Signers included mayors of Boston, San Diego and New York City. Six of those mayors hail from Florida “ most of them from South Florida. The statement is part of Freedom to Marry “ self-described as the “campaign to win marriage nationwide.” It launched on Jan. 20, the final day of the U.S. Conference of Mayors' Winter Meeting.
Jackie Yodashkin, a spokesperson for Freedom to Marry, said her crew has to confirm all signatures before adding them to the list which means there might be more Florida mayors joining in soon.
“We've been getting an overwhelming response,” she said. “It's good politics to boot.”
The statement is both broad and specific. While those who signed it agree to advocate on behalf of same-sex couples in a general sense, they were also encouraged to combat specific legislation, like the Defense of Marriage Act.
Pembroke Pines Mayor Frank Ortis, who signed the statement, said he couldn't think of a reason not to do so.
“If people want to get married, they should “ simple as that,” he said. “Whatever people want to do “ I'm okay with.” While Ortis doesn't know any same-sex couples personally in his own municipality, he said he knows many in Broward County.
The other Florida signatories are mayors Craig Cates from Key West, Joy Cooper from Hallandale Beach, Craig Lowe from Gainesville (the lone north Floridian thus far), Lori Moseley from Miramar, and Jeri Muoio from West Palm Beach.
The statement cites economic well-being as one of its aims, based in part on a December 2011 study from the William Institute at the University of California that showed tourism and wedding arrangements bringing in an additional $12 to $13 million to states like Iowa.
Key West's mayor Craig Cates agreed that economy is invariably a benefit of same-sex marriage, especially in his tourist destination city where people commiserate for weddings and celebrations, but that it wasn't his biggest reason to get on the wagon.
“We don't look at it as gay or straight “ to support this is natural,” he said. “The Key West philosophy is “one human family.'”
Editor's note: Gideon Grudo is a reporter with South Florida Gay News and this article is used with permission.
