Bloomberg comes out against North Carolina ban on same-sex marriage

The mayor became the latest politician to use the pomp and circumstance pulpit to give his two cents on gay marriage.

Michael Bloomberg denounced the amendment to North Carolina's constitution that bans same sex couples from marrying during his commencement speech Sunday at the University of North Carolina.

"I would argue last week's referendum banning same-sex marriage shows just how much more work needs to be done to ensure freedom and equality for all people," he said.

Bloomberg’s remarks came a day after Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney publicly denounced gay marriage during his address at Liberty University in Virginia, the largest evangelical college in the nation.

"Marriage is a relationship between one man and one woman," Romney told a cheering crowd.

The rhetoric over gay rights heated up after President Barack Obama announced his support for same-sex marriage last week, a day after nearly half a million North Carolina voters took to the polls to approve the amendment.