Friday, May 17, 2013
The local wedding industry is preparing for a flurry of same-sex weddings after the bill takes effect on Aug. 1.
Amy Zellmer wasted no time after the same-sex marriage bill passed the senate on Monday. The owner of Custom Creations Photography in Shakopee posted a jubilant blog post, then pledged to shoot one couple's same-sex wedding completely gratis. For Zellmer, the issue is deeply personal. Her own beloved sister has been in a committed relationship with another woman for 17 years and Zellmer would like nothing more than to see the two get hitched. "It's time," Zellmer said of the passage of the bill, which was signed by Gov. Mark Dayton on Tuesday. "This is very exciting." Evidently, others in the industry are enthusiastic as well. Zellmer posted her LGBT giveaway offer on Monday night. The next morning, a host of other vendors had contacted …
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Gov. Mark Dayton’s signature Tuesday didn’t end the heated debate around same-sex marriage.
Whatever side of the debate you fall on, there’s no denying that this week’s passage of a bill legalizing same-sex marriage was a historical moment. Minnesota became just the 12th state to sanction gay marriage when Gov. Mark Dayton signed the bill Tuesday. Patch readers quickly wrote in to share their thoughts on the moment. Eagan Patch reader Kathi Malone echoed the view of legislators who voted yes in seeing same-sex marriage as a civil right: I am so happy that finally gay people will be able to have the civil right to marry. This is truly an American vote for freedom. I applaud Sen Clausen and all other legislators who voted for this historical bill. James N added: Thank you Senator Carlson and the entire MN legislature for extending …
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…
State Sen. Dan Hall, who represents Burnsville, said he was risking being called "a bigot" and "a hater" in opposing the legalization of same-sex marriage because he believed it would be more divisive than "any single issue ... since the civil war."
Saying it would harm children and cause a rift in Minnesota's social fabric greater than anything since the Civil War, state Sen. Dan Hall (R-Burnsville) voiced his strong opposition to a bill legalizing same-sex marriage Monday afternoon on the Senate floor. The senate took up the issue shortly after noon on Monday. Gov. Mark Dayton has said he will sign the bill into law. The bill passed the Minnesota House on a 75-59 vote last week. "They’ll call me a bigot, they’ll call me a hater, they’ll spit in my face, like they did a friend of mine last Thursday," Hall said. "[But] there are things in life, members, that are worth standing up for, even to be persecuted for." Here is the full text of Hall's speech on the Senate floor: There’s a lot…
Monday, May 13, 2013
Sen. Jim Carlson (DFL) told his fellow senators that his friendships with same-sex couples in his district has broadened his understanding and acceptance of the issue.
The love that committed same-sex couples share is "really no different than the love I have for my wife of 40 years," Burnsville's District 51 Sen. Jim Carlson (DFL), told his fellow senators on Monday. Carlson spoke on the Senate floor in favor of a bill legalizing same-sex marriage on Monday afternoon and, like other legislators, shared a very personal account of his acceptance of same-sex relationships. The Senate, which took up the issue shortly after noon on Monday, is expected to vote this afternoon whether to pass the proposal. If the legislation is approved, Gov. Mark Dayton has said he will sign the bill into law. The bill passed the Minnesota House on a 75-59 vote last week. Carlson began by admitting that, as a young student …
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 …
Sunday, May 12, 2013
The Minnesota Senate is expected to begin debate of a bill legalizing same-sex marriage at noon on Monday.
Last Thursday, the Minnesota House of Representatives voted 75-59 to legalize gay marriage after two hours of emotionally exhausting—but civil—dialogue. Now, it's the Senate's turn. At noon on Monday, the Minnesota Senate is expected to begin debating the issue. If the Senate passes the measure, Gov. Mark Dayton has said he will sign it into law. If the law is approved, Minnesota would be the 12th state in the nation to pass legislation legalizing gay marriage. Iowa allows gay marriage as the result of a 2009 court ruling. Click here to read the bill's full text. The DFL holds a majority in that branch of the legislature and Senate Majority Leader District 3 Sen. Tom Bakk (DFL) said he believes he has the votes to pass the bill. The is …
Friday, May 10, 2013
Burnsville's state Rep. Pam Myhra spoke against the legislation to legalize same-sex marriage on the floor of the Minnesota House of Representatives Thursday.
State Rep. Pam Myhra (R-56A) spoke against the same-sex marriage legislation on the floor of the Minnesota House of Representatives Thursday afternoon. The full House is debating the bill and is expected to vote Thursday. If the bill passes the Minnesota Senate will take it up on Monday. Some of what Myrha said in her brief speech: "With this bill, adults will choose a same-sex marriage while children will lose their opportunity to have a mom and a dad. ... "Where is our focus? Is it on immediate demands ... or are we looking to the future? ... "I will be a voice in this debate for [children]. I will advocate for them to have both a mom and a dad." WATCH LIVESTREAM VIDEO of the House debate and vote on Thursday. See also: House Members …
The bill now moves on to the state senate as Minnesota Democrats hope to make the state the 12th in the nation to legalize gay marriage. Gov. Mark Dayton has vocally supported the legislation.
UPDATE: Minnesota Representatives approved with a 75-59 vote Thursday a bill legalizing same-sex marriages in the state, putting it on the road to become the 12th state in the nation to do so. The vote came at about 3 p.m. Thursday, May 9, about three hours after the bill was introduced. This is about honoring difference," bill sponsor Karen Clark said. "I respect the other point of view. But there is something about being able to marry the love of your life." Clark, a Democrat from Minneapolis, recognized her partner of 26 years in the assembly's audience. The vote came nearly six months to the day after a 2012 vote on a Republican-sponsored amendment item defining marriage as a union between man and woman. That, of course, was …
Thursday, May 9, 2013
The Minnesota House of Representatives takes up the bill at noon Thursday.
Roughly six months after Minnesotans struck down a statewide constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, the Minnesota House and Senate seem poised to legalize gay marriage. House Speaker and District 61B Rep. Paul Thissen (DFL) said Democrats have secured enough votes to push Clark's bill through, according to a report in the Pioneer Press. If the bill passes in the House on Thursday, Senate legislators may vote on it as early as Monday. If the measure, sponsored by District 62A Rep. Karen Clark (DFL), is approved, Minnesota would become the 12th state in the nation to legalize gay marriage. On Tuesday Delaware became the 11th state to approve it.
Clare Kennedy
12:27 pm on Friday, May 17, 2013
Oh come on. There are plenty of wedding giveaways for straight people. One of my own friends, who is straight, won a free wedding photography package too, which, by the way, wasn't available to gay couples. It isn't discrimination to offer a giveaway to a specific group of people: There are lots of giveaways aimed just at new moms or only at women. It would be discrimination if this photographer … more ›