Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Democratic National Convention chairman and โ€œMayors for the Freedom to Marryโ€ coalition co-chairman, announced support for putting a marriage equality plank in the 2012 Democratic Party platform, according to lgbtgqnation.com.

los-angeles-mayor-antonio-villaraigosa-marriage-equality

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa

The bipartisan coalition includes more than 175 mayors from 32 states, which support marriage equality.

โ€œI believe in family values and I believe that we all want to be able to have a family and marry if we want to. I donโ€™t think the government should be in that business of denying people the fundamental right to marry,โ€ Villaraigosa said in a Politico interview.

Villaraigosa said Wednesday marriage equality is โ€œbasic to who we are.โ€

Photo: laweekly.com