San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders has a great piece in the Huffington Post about his testimony in the federal trial challenging Proposition 8, and about his decision to support marriage equality. Here's a bit of it:
Sometimes I find it hard to believe that I came so close to making
the wrong decision, and to endorsing government-sanctioned
discrimination. As it turns out, I was reelected to a second term the
next year. My position on marriage equality definitely made it more
difficult. But I know I would have regretted vetoing that resolution a
lot more than losing that election.Now, more than two years later, I have testified in federal court
about my decision and the rationale behind it. I told the court that, as
someone who has spent most of his lifetime in public service, I
understand that when government tolerates discrimination against any
class of people, it makes it easier for citizens to do the same thing.I was proud that Lisa was in court with me, along with her wife,
Meaghan, whom she married in Vermont last month. Meaghan is like another
daughter to me, and she has brought great happiness into our family.The defendants in this case — those who would deny equal rights to
others — would like us to believe that they are the true victims of
discrimination. They argue that their opposition to marriage equality
has made them targets of violence. They've made this argument as their
excuse for withholding documents from the public, and it is as
self-serving as it is inaccurate.From my own experience as a police officer and mayor, I can say that
the overwhelming evidence is that violence is directed against gays and
lesbians, not those who would deny them equality.
Proud to Testify for Marriage Equality [huffington post]
