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Julian Castro on Civil Rights

Signed onto the "Mayors for the Freedom to Marry" effort

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings is still refusing to sign onto the pledge, despite a petition with 253 signatures and promises of protests at his upcoming public events.

The group has also added two new co-chairs, San Diego's Jerry Sanders and Boston's Thomas Menino; with New York's Michael Bloomberg, L.A.'s Antonio Villaraigosa and Houston's own Annise Parker. The five-co-chairs issued the following statement: Source: Dallas Voice, "Mayors for the Freedom to Marry" , Jan 20, 2012

Extend city benefits to same-sex domestic partners

Extending benefits to cit employees in same sex relationships would cost between $300,000 and $400,000 a year--a small fraction of the total $2.2 billion budget.

However, a local group calling itself "Voices for Marriage" protested the proposed change on Monday outside city hall. The group, citing religious views and current state law, opposes any extension of benefits to domestic partnerships.

San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, who backs the change, said the city needs to extend benefits to domestic partners in order to stay competitive with other cities and companies across the country that already offer similar benefits. The mayor dismissed concerns by many protestors over the cost of benefits as "a smokescreen for their dislike of gays and lesbians."