The mayors of Minneapolis, St. Paul, Duluth, Falcon Heights, and Lake Park have signed on to a brief urging the United States Supreme Court to rule in favor of marriage equality.

“Saint Paul is proud of its long history of fighting for civil and human rights for all people,” St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman said in a statement. “We share in this responsibility to move our country forward and to stand up for the right of caring, mature adults to love whomever they want, and to display that love through marriage.”

“We have made a lot of progress here in Minnesota when it comes to recognizing the freedom to marry for all couples, but we’re not there yet,” Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges said in a statement. “There are still couples in our community waiting for the federal government to legally recognize their marriages, and many more in states with zero legal recognition. I am proud to add my name to the growing list of people who believe the Supreme Court should recognize that all people deserve to marry the person they love.”

On Feb. 27, the Minneapolis City Council granted Hodges the authority to sign on to the brief.

Duluth Mayor Don Ness, Falcon Heights Mayor Peter Lindstrom, and Lake Park Mayor Aaron Wittnebel have also signed on to the brief.

All are members of Mayors for the Freedom to Marry which coordinated the brief which is asking the court to:

· First, excluding a certain class of citizens from marriage undermines the dignity and respect that government owes all its citizens;
· Second, official recognition of marriage as a fundamental right of all citizens, including gay men and lesbians, is crucial to municipalities and their ability to treat citizens with equal dignity and respect; and
· Finally, marriage equality cannot have full meaning unless it is recognized uniformly across state lines.

In addition to the five Minnesota mayors, Minneapolis Police Chief Janee Harteau has signed on to a separate brief.

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case on April 28 which was triggered by appeals in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee.