The belief in equal opportunity, freedom, community and responsibility for others are core tenets of the progressive movement. Progressives have long stood up to secure the promise of this country, whether it was the push for women's suffrage or racial justice. Likewise, the movement also includes along-standing effort to bring equality and fairness to gay and lesbian couples by assuring the freedom to marry. These common efforts to fulfill our country's most basic principles form the hallmark of progressive history, and advocates for the freedom to marry march alongside progressive leaders on the road to a better future.

According to the Gallup poll from 2010, majorities of Democrats (56%) and Liberals (70%) support the freedom to marry for same-sex couples. According to the Victory Fund, there are 661 LGBT public officials -- either elected or appointed -- in the U.S. Of those officials affiliated with a party, 305 are listed as either a member of the Democratic or Green Party.

"Major questions of civic equity and social prestige are on the line; this is much more than a flight from the creative anarchy of queer life. What gays are fighting for is the option to marry, not the obligation to do so—and choice, as all progressives should know, is the essence of freedom."

— Richard Goldstein, "The Radical Case for Gay Marriage: Why progressives must join this fight" Village Voice; September 2003