Letter to Editor: MN Catholic vows to send back Bishops’ anti-marriage DVD
Posted on Sep 23, 2010 at 09:00 am
In response to Catholic Bishops in Minnesota sending out political anti-freedom to marry DVDs, one faithful Catholic says he'll return his marked "return to sender."
What Target and the National Organization for Marriage have in common
Posted on Aug 31, 2010 at 08:00 am
Michael A. Jones reports on some state races where marriage equality may be an active issue this fall. About the gubernatorial race in Minnesota, where both Target and NOM have put money behind anti-gay candidate Tom Emmer, Jones notes, "today they're [Target] standing on the side of the National Organization for Marriage, instead of on the side that would treat all their customers and employees, regardless of their sexual orientation, with dignity."
Video: Voice for Equality - Minnesota State Senator John Marty strikes back at NOM attack ad
Posted on Jun 03, 2010 at 01:41 pm
John Marty is a member of the Minnesota Senate, representing District 54, which includes portions of Hennepin and Ramsey counties in the northern Twin Cities metropolitan area.
When, in 2010, the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) ran an election ad attacking Minnesota State Sen. John Marty for supporting the freedom to marry, he struck back with a video of his own.
Op-Ed: Anti-freedom to marry campaign: day late, dollars long
Posted on May 19, 2010 at 01:48 pm
Lori Sturdevant discusses a $200,000 statewide TV ad campaign in Minnesota by the National Organization for Marriage. "It dawned on me that the anti-freedom to marry group is not really trying to influence the Legislature -- at least not the current one. It's trying to inject the gay rights issue into this fall's state election campaign, and drive up voter turnout among people who share its beliefs."
Pawlenty vetoes Minnesota survivor bill for same-sex couples
Posted on May 17, 2010 at 03:11 pm
Gov. Tim Pawlenty vetoed a bill Saturday that would have given same-sex partners the right to decide what to do with the body of their loved ones, should they die.
Pawlenty had said he would veto the bill, calling it unnecessary because partners can draw up a living will. But advocates argue that married couples do not have to do that and that legal documents often cost money to draft.
Pawlenty says he’ll veto same-sex couple survivor rights bill
Posted on May 14, 2010 at 01:30 pm
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) said Wednesday that he will veto a bill granting same-sex couples the same end-of-life protections given to married couples in the state. Pawlenty criticized the bill, which passed both the state House and Senate, as something that will "stoke up a political controversy on a hotbutton issue."
Minnesota House passes bill that grants same-sex couples the right to make end-of-life decisions
Posted on May 12, 2010 at 01:04 pm
A bill granting protections to same-sex couples regarding end-of-life decisions passed the Minnesota state House on Tuesday and is headed to Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty's desk for approval.
Op-Ed: Yes, protect marriage. Let same-sex couples wed.
Posted on May 11, 2010 at 07:00 am
Dale Carpenter criticizes anti-gay comments by Archbishop John C. Nienstedt and advocates for marriage equality in Minnesota: "The welfare of gay persons and their children is a material and moral concern for every humane and civilized citizen."
The archbishop's fears about damage to families and children are misdirected.
Minnesota Lawmakers Debate Freedom to Marry
Posted on Feb 23, 2010 at 01:10 pm
On Monday, three pro-gay bills introduced last March were aired out in a Minnesota House committee. One measure, sponsored by Representative Joe Mullery, DFL- Minneapolis, would recognize gay and lesbian couples with civil unions. And Golden Valley Representative Ryan Winkler's bill seeks to recognize legal marriages performed outside the state. A third bill proposes legalizing the freedom to marry.
“Legislators have seen that there is strong support for extending legal recognition to same-sex couples and their families by ending discrimination in marriage,” Amy Johnson, executive director of gay rights group OutFront Minnesota, said in a statement. “Minnesotans know that marriage equality next door in Canada and now Iowa is not a threat to them or their families. A majority of Minnesotans (61%) support giving gay couples “the same legal and economic rights and responsibilities as married couples,” according to a 2009 state fair opinion poll.
Editorial: Economic Reasons for the Freedom to Marry
Posted on Feb 21, 2010 at 10:27 pm
A committee of the Minnesota House of Representatives will hold a hearing Monday on three separate visions for extending greater rights to gay and lesbian couples. It marks the first time a legislative body in Minnesota has taken such an affirmative look; past discussion has sought only to constitutionally prohibit marriage equality.
Five states currently extend marriage rights to gays and lesbians, and they’re better off for it. Many Minnesotans, for example, are making the short journey south to wed in Iowa. A UCLA study last year estimated that Iowa’s state budget is getting a $5.4 million annual bump from marriage equality-derived tax receipts. This number doesn’t include the indirect boost to local businesses across the state.