Stamford Mayor David Martin joins coalition to protect LGBT rights

Executive Director of Triangle Community Center Anthony Crisci, left, and Stamford Mayor David R. Martin raise the LBGT rainbow-colored flag outside the Government Center in Stamford, Conn. Wednesday, June 15, 2016. Dozens gathered to honor the 49 victims gunned down at an Orlando gay nightclub early Sunday in the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history. less Executive Director of Triangle Community Center Anthony Crisci, left, and Stamford Mayor David R. Martin raise the LBGT rainbow-colored flag outside the Government Center in Stamford, Conn. Wednesday, June 15, ... more Photo: Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media Buy photo Photo: Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Stamford Mayor David Martin joins coalition to protect LGBT rights 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

STAMFORD — Mayor David Martin announced Friday he is joining a national coalition for LGBT rights.

Martin joins the ranks of more than 200 municipal leaders as the newest member of Mayors Against LGBT Discrimination. The group is an extension of Freedom for All Americans, a bipartisan campaign to institute comprehensive non-discrimination protections for LGBT people nationwide.

Mayors in the coalition are focused on establishing and enhancing nondiscrimination protections for the LGBT community, in an effort to make their respective communities “safer, more welcoming and more economically vibrant,” according to the group’s website.

“During a time when it seems like basic human rights are getting a second look, I want to reaffirm that everyone is welcome in Stamford and they will be respected,” Martin said in a statement released Friday. “It doesn’t matter if you identify as LGBTQ, or what your religion is, or what the color of your skin is. You are welcome here. I am happy to join this coalition as we continue to ensure that no one will be discriminated against for being who they are.”

Martin has often shown his commitment to the protection of LGBT rights since taking office in 2014. He appointed two LGBT liaisons in 2015 to advise the city and the Stamford Police Department, and made efforts later that year to bolster protection for LGBT employees by revising the town charter to ensure city contractors can not discriminate based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Martin was also swift in condemning the 2016 mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., flying a rainbow flag at half-mast outside of the government center in honor of the 49 people gunned down in the attack.

“It is on all of us — local government, business owners, and as private citizens, to stand up against discrimination,” Anthony Crisci, executive director of Norwalk’s Triangle Community Center, said in the statement Friday. “Stamford has taken a bold stand for the LGBTQ community. We are grateful for Stamford’s leadership in protecting our rights. Our community will continue to find hope when local leaders like those in Stamford stand up for all of us.”

The Triangle Community Center is a hub for LGBT activism and community building in Fairfield County.

For more information about Mayors Against LGBT Discrimination, and for a full list of mayors, visit: http://www.mayorsagainstlgbtdiscrimination.org/.

nnaughton@stamfordadvocate.com; @noranaughton