Boston mayor
joins ad campaign for same-sex marriage

Boston's mayor, Democrat Thomas Menino, is joining a growing cadre of influential leaders taking part in an advertising campaign promoting same-sex marriage.

The campaign, which will run in 50 newspapers across the country, is spearheaded by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, and the Freedom to Marry group. The campaign will feature five pictures of committed gay couples.

Menino's participation includes an endorsement and recognition of the campaign. Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom are also lending their names to the campaign, as are six additional mayors and 11 religious leaders.

"There's no question the landscape is mixed," Evan Wolfson of Freedom to Marry told the Boston Herald. "Our job is to make sure people hear about gay families and why marriage matters and not be drowned out by the horse race of the moment." (The Advocate)