Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Democratic National Convention chairman and “Mayors for the Freedom to Marry” coalition co-chairman, announced support for putting a marriage equality plank in the 2012 Democratic Party platform, according to lgbtgqnation.com.

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Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa

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

“I 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 don’t think the government should be in that business of denying people the fundamental right to marry,” Villaraigosa said in a Politico interview.

Villaraigosa said Wednesday marriage equality is “basic to who we are.”

Photo: laweekly.com