**MEDIA ADVISORY**

Contact:

Jackie Yodashkin

917-620-4502

Jackie@freedomtomarry.org

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Freedom to Marry, the campaign to win marriage nationwide, will launch Mayors for the Freedom to Marry at a press conference during the U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting in Washington, D.C., on January 20. 80 Republican, Democrat and Independent mayors from cities across the country have pledged to support gay and lesbian couples’ freedom to marry. By joining the group, mayors hope to expand public and political support for ending the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage.

 

The broad-based coalition of mayors includes Rahm Emanuel of Chicago and is chaired by mayors Jerry Sanders of San Diego, Thomas Menino of Boston, Michael Bloomberg of New York, Annise Parker of Houston, and U.S. Conference of Mayors President Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles. 

 

Date:              Friday, January 20, 2012 

    10:00 a.m. ET

 

Location:        Capital Hilton Hotel

    2nd Floor Foyer outside Presidential Ballroom

    1001 16th Street NW

   Washington, D.C.

 

Participants:   Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa of Los Angeles

                        Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York

    Mayor Thomas M. Menino of Boston

    Mayor Marilyn Strickland of Tacoma

    Mayor Annise Parker of Houston

    Mayor Jerry Sanders of San Diego

   Marc Solomon, National Campaign Director of Freedom to Marry 

   Tom Cochran, U.S. Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director 

  

Journalists who are uable to make it in person will be able to conference in by phone. Those interested in dialing into the press conference by phone should please contact Angela Dallara at angela@freedomtomarry.org / 646-430-3925 for conference line information. 

 

Freedom to Marry is the campaign to win marriage nationwide. We are pursuing our Roadmap to Victory by working to win the freedom to marry in more states, grow the national majority for marriage, and end federal marriage discrimination. We partner with individuals and organizations across the country to end the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage and the protections, responsibilities, and commitment that marriage brings.

 

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