Michael Cass

mcass@tennessean.com

Mayor Karl Dean has joined a bipartisan group of mayors that supports same-sex marriage.

Dean joined Mayors for the Freedom to Marry on Thursday and signed its statement, which says, “As mayors of great American cities, we proudly stand together in support of the freedom of same-sex couples to marry. We personally know many gay and lesbian people living in our cities who are in committed, loving relationships, who are active participants in the civic life of our communities, and who deserve to be able to marry the person with whom they share their life.”

Nearly 500 mayors have signed the statement, according to Freedom to Marry’s website.

“It’s just the right thing to do,” Dean said before an event Friday. “It’s something that I’ve been thinking about for a while. There was no particular request or anything to happen in the last week or two that made me decide to do it now.

“But I think it’s really important that we treat people fairly, that we treat people with respect and that Nashville be a city that embraces that. And I think people should be treated equally.”

Reach Michael Cass at 615-259-8838 and on Twitter @tnmetro.