Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed called on Georgia state officials to pursue a measure that would recognize same-sex marriages that have been performed out of state.
On Monday, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed called on Georgia state officials to pursue a measure that would recognize same-sex marriages that have been performed out of state. This would be the first step in what Mayor Reed describes as a “long to to marriage equality in Georgia.”
Launching in partnership with 12 Southern organizations who are committed to equality for the LGBT community, Southerners for the Freedom to Marry is a campaign that seeks to grow southern support for marriage equality. “The $1 million campaign seeks to build and grow majority support for the freedom to marry in the South and will include significant field and media work over the next year,” writes Adam Polaski, online content manager for Freedom to Marry.
Mayor Reed and Freedom to Marry founder and president Evan Wolfson were both speakers at the kickoff event on Monday. During the conference, Mayor Reed urged legislation to consider the laws of marriage equality. “Denying same-sex couples the freedom to marry does not fulfill the Golden Rule of treating people the way you’d like to be treated,” he stated. “As a longtime supporter of equality for LGBT individuals, denying same-sex couples the freedom to marry is harmful to families and hurtful to communities. We need to remove discrimination from Georgia’s constitution, which must be done not tomorrow, but right away.”
The Mayor also shared his own personal journey. “I was slow moving from recognizing civil unions to marriage equality,” he told the audience. “My grandfather was a minister and I grew up in a household that was pretty religious and I consider myself pretty religious and I had some struggles. My journey is the same journey that many Southerners must take.”
Evan Wolfson, the founder and president of Freedom to Marry, spoke about the importance of launching the Southerners for the Freedom to Marry campaign. “Our investment in the South comes at a pivotal time in the marriage movement. The South is home to hundreds of thousands of loving, committed same-sex couples—and to a majority of the nearly 50 federal marriage cases now underway in courts across the country. Our new campaign will give voice to the many in the region now ready to move forward, including clergy, business leaders, conservatives, and family members, to show that all of America is ready for the freedom to marry.”
Read the full story by Adam Polaski on the Freedom to Marry blog.
Photos: LeahAndMark & Co.
