Portland Timbers and Thorns Say They Support Gay Marriage Initiative

As always, Timbers fans will be hoping for a lot of log slices from this guy.

The Portland Timbers and Thorns are joining the fight to legalize same sex marriage in Oregon.

The announcement today by the soccer teams' owner Merritt Paulson marks the first major U.S. professional sports teams to endorse a same sex marriage ballot campaign, according to a release by Oregon United for Marriage, which is gathering signatures to put an initiative on the 2014 ballot to overturn Measure 36, Oregon's Constitutional ban on gay marriage.

(The Seattle Mariners, however, did fly a rainbow flag in support of same sex marriage this summer)

"We are proud to support Oregon United for Marriage and its efforts to secure the freedom to marry for all Oregonians next November," Paulson says in the release.

The endorsement is yet another landmark endorsement for the 2014 ballot effort—Columbia Sportswear CEO Tim Boyle confirmed to WW earlier this month that his company was also behind Oregon United for Marriage. 

Team COO Mike Golub also announced the endorsement in a brief video released on the campaign's YouTube page.

"We believe it’s time for Oregon to recognize this fundamental right,” Golub says in the video. “And we hope you will join us at the Timbers and Thorns, and affirm this right to marry at the ballot next November.”

WWeek 2015

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