CORAL SPRINGS – Last week, the editor of community news and information Web site Coral Springs Talk.com called upon the mayor of Coral Springs and other area chief executives to sign on to the national “Mayors for Freedom to Marry Campaign,” the bipartisan association of U.S. Mayors who have pledged to support marriage equality for LGBT couples.

In a July 3 online posting, editor Sharon Aron Baron wrote, “The City of Coral Springs and Parkland have many residents that are in same-sex relationships, yet do not enjoy the same legal rights as their neighbors.” She called upon Coral Springs Mayor Roy Gold, and “other South Florida Mayors to join the other 240 Democrats and Republicans that are already showing their support.” Baron cites the “several South Florida Mayors that have signed up to show their support” for marriage equality, including Pam Donovan of Margate, Marilyn Gerber of Coconut Creek, Judy Paul of Davie, Gary Resnick of Wilton Manors, Mike Ryan of Sunrise, and Anne Salle of Oakland Park.

Quoting San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, a Republican and the chairman of Mayors for the Freedom to Marry, Baron wrote, “Allowing loving and committed couples to join in marriage has benefits not just for couples and their families—but also for society. Marriage encourages people to take responsibility for each other, provides greater security for children, and helps our country live up to its promises set forth in our founding documents. These are important values for a strong society, and we should encourage them.”