Michael Bloomberg on His LGBTQ Priorities

[left-of-center2012]

The fight for equal rights has been one of the great fights of my life.

As mayor of New York City, I came out in favor of marriage equality in 2005 — long before it was considered politically safe to do so, and years before many of the other candidates for president stated their support publicly.

The reason I spoke out back then was simple: I saw the pain that the status quo was causing, and I could not defend it. I could not look people in the eye and tell them that their government was correct in denying them the right to get married.

But I didn’t just speak up for marriage equality — I worked to make it a reality.
I went up to the state capitol in Albany, where Republicans controlled the state Senate, and met with senators who were against it. I asked them to listen to their families, and especially their children. I asked them to put party politics aside and vote their conscience.

That’s what they did — and marriage equality passed in New York State.

Full article at:
https://www.advocate.com/commentary/2020/2/05/michael-bloomberg-his-lgbtq-priorities