 Greetings from Tempe! I'm Neil Giuliano, the former mayor of Tempe from 1994 - 2004. Although I now spend most of my time in New York and Los Angeles as president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), Tempe is still my home and I am pleased to invite you to come and experience all it has to offer.
Tempe and Phoenix are the most progressive, dynamic and urban communities in the mostly red state of Arizona. The people are forward-thinking and fully embrace diversity. In fact, you may have seen that last November Arizona became the first state in the U.S. to reject a constitutional ban on same sex marriage.
Tempe is an eclectic place. You can enjoy collegiate and amateur sporting events, including Arizona State University NCAA competition, marathons, great hiking and mountain biking trails. There are also many wonderful resorts, shopping, restaurants - places to relax and do nothing.
There are so many great things to see here: Tempe Town Lake, Papago Park, the entire ASU Campus, Angels Spring Training games at Tempe Diablo Stadium, a romantic walk through the Desert Botanical Garden, art galleries, Broadway touring shows at ASU Gammage and more.
The city of Tempe and its people always embraced me and gave me a tremendous honor at a time when there were not as many openly gay elected officials as today. There aren't many places where an Italian kid from New Jersey could arrive to attend college and twenty years later end up being elected mayor. It is a really special community.
Please consider this your personal invitation to come and see firsthand what a wonderful and fun place I call my home: Tempe, Arizona.
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