Twin Cities Daily Planet (https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/tag/lgbtqia/page/9/)
What a crazy day I had yesterday! I went to St. Paul, MN to watch history being made as Minnesota’s state senate voted to legalize gay marriage, an event that will happen today when Governor Mark Dayton signs it into law. Continue Reading
An estimated 7,000 people partied down in St. Paul Tuesday, coming to the Capitol lawn and braving record 98-degree heat to celebrate the dawn of a new era: Same-sex marriages are now enshrined in law — a law signed under the blazing sun by Gov. Mark Dayton after a week’s worth of impassioned debates in the Legislature, years of tumultuous politics and decades of effort by a GLBT community that wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Instead of attending to the novel I was supposed to be working on, I spent the afternoon in front of the TV watching the debate over and vote on the same-sex marriage bill in the State Senate on TPT’s Minnesota Channel. I listened to the passionate and heartfelt speeches given by DFL Senators Scott Dibble, Jeff Hayden, Patricia Torres Ray and others in favor of passing the bill for legalizing same-sex marriage, and — to be honest — I muted the TV sound when senators opposing the bill had the floor.
With Governor Dayton’s signature on Tuesday at 5 PM on Tuesday May 14, same-sex marriage will be signed into law. The question though is what’s next, and what will change as a result of legalization of same-sex marriage? Here is what we know based on Minnesota law and what has happened in the other 11 states that have already legalized same-sex marriage. Continue Reading
I was pleased when legislators added the word “civil” to the gay marriage bill recently approved by the Minnesota legislature. Marriage has a long history of being on the rocks, so it could use a little civility. Continue Reading
The best thing that could happen to the Republican Party of Minnesota (RPM) if not the national Republican Party, is for same-sex marriage to be legalized. Its legalization would remove from the agenda one that the Republicans are losing on, and one that is continuing to alienate them from younger millennial voters and moderates. Legalization of same-sex marriage would permit Republicans to move away from social issues and concentrate on their core economic and limited government message. Continue Reading
Today at 5 p.m., Gov. Mark Dayton signs into law the bill legalizing same-sex marriage in Minnesota. A large crowd is expected to watch Dayton sign the historic marriage rights legislation on the south steps of the Capitol in St. Paul. Barring court challenge, the law will take effect on August 1.Live video coverage below. Continue Reading
It’s become quite popular for opponents of the freedom to marry to introduce their fear of the B-word into the discussion, while in some progressive circles, discussing opponents’ perceived bigotry overshadowed any celebration of this week’s tremendous victory in the bipartisan vote to legalize same-sex marriage. Continue Reading
The UpTake has a team (Jason Barnett, Nick Coleman, Allison Herrera, Hlee Lee, Analiese Miller and Mike McIntee) in place to cover today’s historic Senate vote on same-sex marriage. Check-in throughout the proceedings to get a look at what’s happening.John Helmberger from Minnesota for Marriage talks with the UpTake about why he doesn’t support the same-sex marriage bill.Sarah Aylward of Richfield, MN adds her voice to the large crowd gathered in the Capitol rotunda.Sophia Kahn of St. Paul and Matt Sato of Maplewood proudly show their support for same-sex marriage among the opposing group.A large crowd on both sides of the same-sex marriage debate gathered early today on the steps of the Capitol.Minnesota State Auditor Rebecca Otto joins the crowd watching the Senate debate the same-sex marriage bill.Another packed house at the state Capitol as the Minnesota Senate takes up the bill for same-sex marriage.St. Paul residents (left to right) Sieglinde and Theresa Waller and Adele Brown at the Capitol rotunda. ‘I’m a Jew who believes we are all made in the image of god: straight and gay alike,’ Brown said.Sisters Melissa and Lindsay Bownik from Minneapolis, MN show their support for their mother and all the other GLBTQ people who want to get married in Minnesota.Duane Olson and Jason Sheedy join the crowd in the Capitol rotunda. Continue Reading
Live UpTake Report, From the Capitol: 4:18 p.m. May 13, 2013: The Senate has passed the same-sex marriage bill on a vote of 37-30.The Minnesota Capitol rocked with cheers and celebration Monday afternoon as the state Senate approved the same-sex marriage bill that was approved last Thursday by the House of Representatives, clearing the way for same-sex marriages to become legal in the state by this summer.(See The UpTake’s a photo and video blog of today’s historic action, below.)A crowd estimated at about 2,500 persons — twice as many as were on hand for the vote last Thursday, when the Minnesota House approved the bill legalizing same-sex marriage — packed into the Capitol Rotunda and corridors, eagerly awaiting Senate approval, which sets the stage for Gov. Mark Dayton, who plans to sign the legislation into law tomorrow (Tuesday).The debate on the bill, which began about 1:50 p.m. after a couple of amendments were debated and defeated, offered an extraordinary and emotional look into a conversation over marriage rights that has divided the state for years but appears to be on the brink of a sudden and decisive conclusion. There were several riveting moments, including a heart-felt floor speech in Spanish — her first-ever — from Richfield DFLer Patricia Torres Ray.A historic occasion in its own right, Torres Ray used her native tongue to explain to her family and Spanish-speaking friends — most of whom oppose same-sex marriage — why she was voting in favor of the bill.Many other senators — there are 67 — spoke in deeply personal terms about their backgrounds, their beliefs and their faith before urging their colleagues to vote Yea or Nay. Some warned that, contrary to the mood of the day, the vote was unlikely to resolve the fight over same-sex marriage in Minnesota, which is four decades long.“No matter what the vote is today, it’s not going away,” said Republican Paul Gazelka, of Nisswa. “How we get through this afterwards is what I’m concerned about.”Sen. Charles Wiger, a DFLer from Maplewood, summed up a number of the other speeches with a pithy, “It seems that God supports each side in this debate.”Sen. Branden Petersen, an Anoka Republican whose February announcement that he would vote for same-sex marriage helped push the vote forward, said he is aware that his vote is politically unpopular in his party. “I’m more uncertain than ever of my future in this building,” he said. Continue Reading