WATCH: Lance Bass and fiancé discuss growing support for marriage in the South

As a born-and-bred Mississippian, musician and author Lance Bass knows what it's like to be gay in the South - and he knows that in the past few years, the change has been palpable. More and more, Southerners are coming to support the freedom to marry for same-sex couples and understand that marriage matters for all families. A poll from The Washington Post-ABC News last week actually demonstrated, for the first time, that 50% of voters in the South support marriage for same-sex couples. 

Lance and his fiancé, Michael Turchin, explain more about that increasing support for the freedom to marry in Mississippi and beyond in a new video for Southerners for the Freedom to Marry

“We’re here; our feet are planted here in Mississippi, and we can tell you by experience that there’s tons of support down here," Lance says in the video. "Growing up in the South and seeing how change is definitely happening down here way faster than I ever thought it would happen here, I think we have grown leaps and bounds … This is where we need to start taking it to the next level. We need to open the dialogue about this."

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The video featuring Lance and Michael is the second in a series of web videos for Southerners for the Freedom to Marry, the $1 million campaign Freedom to Marry launched last month in partnership with 15 state and regional organizations dedicated to equality for LGBT people in the South. Lance Bass is one of 13 honorary co-chairs of the bipartisan program, which also include U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, Congressman John Lewis, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, Mark McKinnon (chief adviser to President George W. Bush), and TV producers Harry Thomason & Linda Bloodworth-Thomason. The previous video, featuring Rep. John Lewis, is a moving reflection from a civil rights legend on why marriage matters for all families. Watch it HERE. 

And learn more about Southerners for the Freedom to Marry HERE