While the new prohibitionists in the Republican legislative majorities in St. Paul waste time revising the state constitution, ordinary citizens in Greater Minnesota are talking about making their towns more welcoming places to all people.
The Marshall Independent reports in Gay marriage debate grips Minnesota:
[Winning Marriage Equality executive director Denny] Smith will speak at next week's Marshall/Buffalo Ridge PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) public forum titled "Marking Marshall Welcoming to All People: Opening Our Doors to the LGBT Community" on the issue at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Marshall Adult Community Center. The gay marriage ban is an issue that affects him personally. His son, Kyle, is gay and has been forced to live separately from his partner because the two can't get married in Minnesota.
"Joe was here on a student visa and when it expired he was forced to leave," Smith said. "If he had the same rights as heterosexuals they would've been able to be married. Instead, we have two people who love each other very much - they're bright, well-employed people who are very lonely. As a father, it's gut-wrenching to see your kids not have the same rights as other people. That's one of the reasons I'm involved.
Joe currently lives in the Philippines. He and Kyle have been together for 16 years and their relationship, Smith said, was totally accepted by both families. But state law, which currently prohibits marriage between two men or two women, is standing in their way of being together, and Smith wants that to change.
"We have to start treating each other better as human beings across the board," Smith said. "We were all made by the same creator; we're all on this ball of mud called Earth together."
The Independent story led with the Internet sensation Youtube posted by the Uptake of a statement by State Representative Steve Simon:
The gay marriage issue in any state is a hot enough button that it doesn't need any help making headlines, but in Minnesota, it's gaining steam at a quicker-than-usual pace thanks, in part, to the Internet.
Video of remarks on the subject made by Rep. Steve Simon, DFL-St. Louis Park, had more than 170,000 views by Thursday morning after getting linked on national blogs. In the recording of a Capitol hearing on Monday, Simon asked, "How many more gay people does God have to create before we ask ourselves whether or not God actually wants them around?"
Simon says he was speaking off the cuff after talking about the issue with friends and constituents, and that he wasn't angling for the attention he's getting. He told the Associated Press he doubts his speech and the attention it's getting will keep the issue off the ballot, but hopes it influences voters who are going back and forth on the issue.
Simon talked to MSNBC about the debate, and funding flowing into Minnesota from outside groups to enshrine discrimination in our state constitution:
Watch until the end: Simon makes some great points about the process of people changing their minds about sexuality.
As I write this on Saturday morning, The Uptake Youtube has been viewed 412,539 times. It's a wonderful statement, soft-spoken, calm, and deliberate.
The Marshall Independent closes with Smith's own faith that the whole of the state can now discuss issues of equality:
Smith, meanwhile, remains optimistic.
"I have optimism that people of Minnesota really are so much more open and understanding now than even four, five years ago," he said. "We've been shy talking about this in the past. Now we're having reasonable dialogue about it instead of being intimidated. We can just talk normal."
I agree with Smith, who coached high school sports in Montevideo and St. Cloud for years, and Simon. My straight friends here in greater Minnesota tend to be inclusive in their attitudes--regardless where they land on the political spectrum--because gay, lesbian and bisexual people are part of our lives. We've gone to school, to work, to worship and (some) to war beside each other, and the bonds born from those shared experiences transcend ideology if we're willing to be honest about it.
A linguistics prof told me back when I was in college that an old word for neighbor--I don't remember what language--translated as "sets besider." She thought that was pretty good description of a neighbor, the person whose property, business and life sits beside yours. Increasingly, like Smith, I see common sense, practical values like neighborliness and cooperation (a pretty important quality for people who spend a lot of time digging each other out from snowstorms) leading people to conclude that there's much more prosperity and happiness to be gained from respecting all those who "sets beside" you.
Photo: Denny Smith, director of Winning Marriage Equality, is an advocate for marriage equality for same-sex couples. Tribune photo by Tom Cherveny.
People respect those who are willing to stand and fight for their beliefs in an honorable and honest fashion.
I am so glad that instead of trying to run away from the issue out of fear of losing socially conservative voters, Representative Simon and his fellow DFLers -- especially our new governor, Mark Dayton -- are taking this chance to educate, and taking the wind out of bigotry's sails, electoral and otherwise.
Posted by: Phoenix Woman | May 07, 2011 at 11:20 AM