Mayor Bloomberg Rips North Carolina Marriage Amendment
NEW YORK(CBSNewYork)-- Mayor Bloomberg has been a vocal supporter of same-sex marriage and today, during a commencement speech at UNC Chapel Hill, he took the opportunity to promote his view on the issue.
CBS 2's Dave Carlin reported that the mayor blasted the state of North Carolina for passing an amendment that banned same-sex marriages.
WATCH BLOOMBERG'S ENTIRE SPEECH
"And I would argue that last week's referendum banning same-sex marriage shows just how much more work needs to be done to ensure freedom and equality for all people," Bloomberg said.
In a separate commencement speech in Lynchburg, Virginia, Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney re-iterated his position on same-sex marriage at Liberty University, the the largest Evangelical Christian university in the world.
To rousing cheers Romney said, "Marriage is a relationship between one man and one woman."
READ MITT ROMENY'S COMMENCEMENT SPEECH
SEE MITT ROMNEY'S ENTIRE SPEECH
Republican party leaders said that while they believe that President Obama's stance on the issue helps Mitt Romney, they do not want it to become the number one campaign issue.
"For those people that this is their issue, they have a clear choice. But I still happen to believe that, at the end of the day, however, this election is still going to be about the economy," said Republican National Committee Chairman, Reince Priebus.
Mayor Bloomberg told the men and women at the UNC commencement that this is a moment in history that belongs to them.
"I have no doubt that in your lifetime, liberty's light will allow us to see more clearly the truth of our nation's founding principles, and allow us to see all people, and all couples, as full and equal members of the American family," the mayor said.
President Obama will be in New York on Monday for the first time since he announced that he supports same-sex marriage. He will speak at Barnard's commencement in the morning and then attend a fundraiser sponsored by the LGBT Leadership Council.
What kind of impact do you think the issue of same-sex marriage will have on the election? Let us know in our comments section below...
