S.C. Mayor Becomes 500th Mayor to Support Marriage Equality

The mayor of Columbia, S.C., joined Freedom to Marry's campaign of marriage allies, becoming the 500th mayor to voice his support for marriage equality according to the organization.

Mayor Steve Benjamin, who joined Freedom to Marry Tuesday is the second South Carolina mayor to back marriage equality BuzzFeed reports.

"As a man of faith, I believe in the enduring power of love," Benjamin said in a Freedom to Marry press release." I support the freedom to marry because all families deserve to be treated equally and fairly, because everyone's love deserves respect, and because it is simply the right thing to do."

Many of the mayors involved in Freedom to Marry's coalition of mayors represent cities in states where marriage equality has yet to be made legal. Some recent mayors to sign up are Dick Moore of Elkhart, Ind. and Zachary Vruwick from Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.

"From Alabama to West Virginia and from big cities to small, 500 mayors have now pledged to make the case in their communities for ending marriage discrimination," Freedom to Marry's Marc Solomon said in a statement. "Mayor Benjamin, like the hundreds of other mayors, knows that marriage strengthens families and communities."

In Dallas this June, the annual U.S. Conference of Mayors passed a resolution calling for the federal courts to bring an end to marriage discrimination. Mayors from Missouri, Texas, and Georgia were among the top states that pushed the measure through, according to Freedom to Marry.

"We are stronger, more vibrant and more economically viable when we treat every person equally under the law," Mayor Greg Stanton of Phoenix and co-chair of Mayors for the Freedom to Marry said in a statement. "I strongly urge our federal courts, states, and cities nationwide to join me in supporting the freedom to marry, because people should be able to marry the person they love."