Minnesota is making waves without an ocean! The Minnesota State Legislature passed a bill allowing same-sex marriage in Minnesota. Minnesota is one of only 12 states in the country to have legalized same-sex marriage. Since being signed into law on May 14, 2013 this law is a huge victory for the LGBTQ community and civil rights organizations nationwide.
Minnesota has taken a long path to this resolution. Five times in the past decade the Minnesota legislature has debated introducing an amendment to the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage constitutionally. Four of those attempts were unsuccessful, until May, 2011, when the state senate put the amendment on the ballot to the voters. With a slight majority of the public against the amendment, it failed to be written into law.
In contrast to previously successful procedures Minnesota took this challenge on legislatively. Early May proved to be an important time for Minnesota, as both the State House of Representatives and the State Senate Passed a bill to legalize same-sex marriage. The following day, May 14, Governor Mark Dayton stepped up and signed the bill into law.
While law does not go into effect until August 1 of this year, the impact can already be felt across the nation with another victory for the LGBTQ community. Nonetheless, 30 states continue to explicitly ban same-sex Marriage. While the LGBTQ movement seems to be gaining support from in blue states, it is encountering rock solid opposition in many of the more conservative states. In the vote in Minnesota’s House of Representatives, the bill passed 75-59, with all but two Democrats voting in favor of the bill and all but four Republicans voting against. In the Minnesota Senate, the bill passed 37-30, with all but three Democrats voting for and all but one Republican voting against. As is frighteningly evident, the bill splits almost evenly across party lines, highlighting a fundamental isssue that will continue to impede progress for the LGBTQ community. One giant Bill for Minnesota, another Bill to Oklahoma.
