In a surprise move, San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders announced on Sept. 19 that he would sign a resolution passed by the City Council directing the city attorney to file a brief in support of gay marriage.
The City Council voted 5-3 to send the brief to the state Supreme Court backing an end to the state’s ban on same-sex marriage.
“My plan that has been reported publicly was to veto the resolution,” Sanders said, with his wife Rana Sampson by his side.
“I feel like I owe all San Diegans right now an explanation for this change of heart.”
During Sanders’ mayoral campaign two years ago, he took the position in opposition of gay marriage and instead supported civil unions and domestic partnerships.
Sanders stated that he had intended to veto the council’s resolution in order to be consistent with the position he took when elected. However, by the time the resolution arrived in his office the evening of Sept. 18, he wasn’t so sure.
“[It] forced me to reflect and search my soul for the right thing to do. I’ve decided to lead with my heart, which is probably obvious at the moment,” he said while holding back tears, “to do what I think is right and to take a stand on behalf of equality and social justice.”
San Diego has a large gay population, mostly located in Hillcrest, and according to the U.S. Census data from the year 2000, San Diego had a gay index of 186. The national average gay index is 100, according to the online encyclopedia wikipedia.
“I just could not bring myself to tell an entire group of people in our community they were less important, less worthy or less deserving of the rights and responsibility of marriage than anyone else simply because of their sexual orientation,” he said.
He admitted that not all members of the community would agree or understand his change of heart.
“All I can offer them is that I am trying to do what is right,” Sanders explained.
“The concept of a separate but equal institution is not something that I can support.”
Sanders continued to share that members of his personal staff, as well as his daughter, Lisa, are members of the gay and lesbian community, which affected his decision to support the resolution.
“In the end, I couldn’t look any of them in the face and tell them that their relationship and their lives were any less meaningful than the marriage I share with my wife,” Sanders concluded.