Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Legislation to allow gay marriage in the state cleared its final hurdle Monday, May 13. With Gov. Mark Dayton expected to sign the bill as soon as tomorrow, Minnesota will become the 12th state in the country to allow same-sex couples to marry.
The Minnesota Senate approved H.F. 1054 Monday, May 13, clearing the way for Minnesota same-sex couples to marry in the state. The 37 to 30 vote, which was seen as the last hurdle for the legislation, makes Minnesota the 12th in the United States to recognize same-sex marriages in state law. Gov. Mark Dayton's office announced a signing ceremony set for 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 14. Democrats, known locally as the DFL party, hold a 39-28 advantage in the Minnesota Senate. Debate began shortly after noon Monday, with the Republican Party introducing a pair of amendments to the bill, both of which were voted down by state Democrats, who control the Senate. It quickly moved to speeches invoking personal feelings and relationships surrounding the…
Monday, May 13, 2013
Rev. Dr. Robyn Provis works for marriage equality, but it's her efforts in suicide prevention that have made her a local hero. Sponsored by Grape-Nuts.
About this sponsorship: In honor of the 60th anniversary of Sir Edmund Hillary’s historic ascent of Mount Everest, Patch and Grape-Nuts are teaming up to highlight those who inspire people around them to climb their own mountains. When the news of the passage of the marriage equity bill by the Minnesota House of Representatives reached Rev. Dr. Robyn Provis, the first person she wanted to share it with was her wife of nearly eight years, Kathy Luebbe. Provis and Luebbe were married in Toronto, Canada, and for years she says they have played a game on road trips of “Now we’re legally married. Whoops, now we’re not.” The long road to marriage equity mirrors the journey Rev. Dr. Robyn Provis has taken professional and personally to arrive …
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
It's 'marriage equality' vs. 'traditional marriage' as the U.S. Supreme Court considers challenges to the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and California's Prop. 8 banning same-sex marriage.
Should the U.S. Supreme Court uphold or overturn the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and California's Proposition 8 banning same-sex marriage? Take the poll above and leave your comment below! By Wednesday it was same-old, same-old as Supreme Court justices heard a second day of arguments about laws concerning same-sex marriage. Under DOMA, the federal government does not recognize marriages between people of the same gender. Prop. 8 made marriages between people of the same gender illegal again in California. How would you rule if you sat on the nation's high court? Take the poll above and leave your comment below. For more on Tuesday's Prop. 8 arguments, you can play the full audio above (or listen and see the unofficial transcript via …
Thursday, March 14, 2013
After Tuesday's approval of the same-sex marriage bill by House and Senate committees, we want to know if you think the issue should be addressed in schools.
On Tuesday, two committees in the Minnesota Legislature passed same-sex marriage bills, which moved them to the next step: approval or rejection by the full House and Senate. Discussions about gay marriage aren't confined to politics. Last year's proposed consitutional amendment and this year's bills are leading to conversations in homes and churches. But should those discussions move into public school classrooms? After same-sex marriage was legalized in New York, Chancellor Merryl Tisch, the head of the state Board of Regents, said the issue should be added to districts' curriculums. "We have to think of, how we do discuss gay marriage thoughtfully, respectfully and sensitively," Tisch said. "There has to be age-appropriateness." Same-…
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Lawmakers are of mixed opinion on the prospects.
With a resounding victory Tuesday night and the DFL now primed to assume control of the 2013 legislative session, a prominent state senator is suggesting incoming lawmakers could try to repeal a Minnesota law banning same-sex marriage. A prominent Southwest Minneapolis legislator, though, said it was too early to discuss legalization. Roseville state Sen. John Marty said he sees Tuesday night's election results as a changing of the guard. After just two years at the helm of the Minnesota Legislature, Republicans lost control of both the House and Senate on Tuesday night—a defeat at least some Democrats are attributing in part to the marriage and Voter ID amendments. Voters rejected both amendments by votes of 53 percent to 47 percent…
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
While proponents were saying the race was still too early to call, the Associated Press called the race shortly before 2 a.m. The vote means the state constitution will not define marriage as only between a man and a woman.
The Minnesota Marriage Amendment has been rejected. The campaign to amend the Minnesota state constitution to limit the definition of marriage to strictly between heterosexual couples was defeated Tuesday by more than 51 percent of a statewide vote. With 92 percent of state precincts reporting, the Associated Press reported shortly before 2 a.m. Wednesday that Amendment 1—informally known as the Minnesota Marriage Amendment—had failed: "Vote No" won. Speaking to a cheering crowd of hundreds at St Paul's River Centre, Richard Carlbom, the campaign manager for Minnesotans United for All Families, told audiences that Minnesota was the first state in the nation to reject a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage at the ballot …
Monday, October 29, 2012
Poll conducted from Oct. 23 to Oct. 25
According to a new poll commissioned by the Star-Tribune, support and opposition to the marriage amendment is essentially tied. The amendment would write a prohibition on legal recognition of same-sex marriages into the state constitution, reflecting current law. Some 48 percent of a poll of 800 likely Minnesota voters told the Minnesota Poll's questioners that they would be voting to pass the amendment. About 47 percent said they opposed the measure, and 5 percent said they were still undecided. Respondents were reached using both cell phones and landlines. The poll's margin of error was 3.5 percent, plus or minus. September's Minnesota Poll also showed a deadlock between the two sides. As the October Minnesota poll was conducted from Oct…
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Karyn Milos says amendment support rooted in fears about loss of religion—and empathetic conversations are the way around that.
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Sunday, October 28, 2012
To the Editor: For more than a year I and thousands of other Minnesotans have been holding conversations about the marriage amendment. We lay out our most rational arguments, citing research in biological as well as social science demonstrating that same-sex orientation is a benign, natural variation in human sexuality. We offer stories of real people who would be hurt by permanently restricting the definition of marriage to exclude same-sex couples. Many people have been persuaded that voting "no" is the right thing to do. Staunch supporters of the amendment, however, remain unmoved. They are not pondering our rational arguments. They are not empathizing with the hardships and harassment that gay people still endure in many places in our …
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
The owner of a Mendota Heights landscaping business has received hate mail for his support of a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.
Stan Genadek, the owner of Genadek Landscaping and Excavation and a vocal supporter of the proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, has been receiving hate email from opponents of the amendment, CBS Minnesota is reporting. “They usually read ‘I hope your business fails’ or ‘You’re a close-minded bigot,’” Genadek told CBS. “I’ve received a few that say ‘I hope you die.’” CBS Minnesota has more on its website: For the first time, Genadek is wading into the dangerous waters of mixing business and politics. He supports the Minnesota’s Constitutional amendment that recognizes marriage as solely between one man and one woman. “My stance is the government needs to stay out of the decision,” Genadek said. “I believe gays and lesbians …
Monday, October 1, 2012
Race is neck-and-neck.
With polls suggesting Minnesota voters are tied neck-and-neck on whether or not to insert a ban on same-sex marriage into the state constitution, groups on both sides are battling it out on the airwaves. According to the Star-Tribune Minnesota for Marriage, the group backing the ban, launched their first television ads this week. The paper says it is not yet sure how long and where in Minnesota the ads will run. Minnesotans United for All Families, the group trying to stop the amendment, has already launched three television ads in Minnesota. Take a look. Do you think they'll influence voters one way or the other?
Mike Hindin
9:37 pm on Saturday, May 18, 2013
Try anything with John Wane in it. I don't care about Hollywood past or present. more ›