Bluestem Prairie: May 2013

Schmit takes to skies to protect trout; no deal announced after Dayton's Thursday meeting

While the governor's private meeting on Thursday with industry representatives to work on a compromise on frac sand mining and trout stream protection was much reported in advance, only the most general outlines of the discussion are emerging in the media. No deal has been announced.

Senator Schmit's amendment to the game and fish bill was anticipated being heard in the Senate on Friday. It was not [Senate Information Office, "Unofficial" Session Highlights – Session_notes pdf file].

Meanwhile, Schmit lanuched an air war, the Red Wing Republican Eagle's Michael Brun reports in A bird’s-eye view of mining:

While debate over mining policy continues in St. Paul, Sen. Matt Schmit chartered flights out of Red Wing Regional Airport Friday for reporters to get a bird’s-eye view of the impact frac sand mines are having across the river in Wisconsin.

The roughly hourlong flight, piloted by Jim McIlrath from Frontenac in his homemade, single-engine plane, toured more than a dozen mines dotting the Wisconsin countryside around Menomonie and Eau Claire. . . .

. . .The Red Wing Democrat has been an active proponent in the Senate for increased regulation for frac sand mining in Minnesota.

He has been involved with a number of mining-related bills in his inaugural legislative session, including sponsoring an amendment to an environmental bill that would prohibit frac sand mining within a mile of state trout streams in southeastern Minnesota.

Read the rest at the Red Wing Republican Eagle. Meanwhile, in the Fillmore County, rural Houston resident Joan Redig noted in a Letter about Senator Miller and sand mining:

Sen. Matt Schmit of Red Wing, working with Trout Unlimited, has proposed provisions to protect trout streams in Southeast Minnesota from damage resulting from frac sand mining. He wanted these provisions included in the Game and Fish Policy Bill, Senate File 796. Pristine cold water springs in our karst area create some of the best trout streams in the United States. Frac sand mining threatens to pollute this water, and disrupt the flow of springs in ways that would raise the water temperature. Death for our trout. Our state has invested millions in stocking and protecting these streams. Trout fishing has provided over a billion dollars in economic activity in the Driftless Area. These special provisions in SF 796 only apply to the Paleozoic Plateau, which is our part of the Driftless Area.

We live within a mile of an old quarry being considered for frac sand mining. It is at the head of a drainage system which feeds our springs and a stream which flows into Money Creek, a tributary of Root River. All of this is threatened because we have no state level standards to protect our region’s trout streams. Sen. Schmit proposed: a mile setback from trout streams; a limit on how much groundwater frac sand facilities could use; and limiting mining to within 25 feet of the water table. DNR Commissioner Landwehr testified we need all of these provisions to protect the trout streams and groundwater. Despite this knowledge, Sen. Miller cast the deciding vote to kill these provisions. . . .

Finish reading the letter at the Journal. Bluestem understands that there's been discussion in the environment, natural resources and ag bill conference committee, but audio archives have yet to be posted. We'll listen to see what of interest was said and report back as they become available.

Photo: A silica sand mine near Menomonie, Wis. Aerial photo by Michael Brun/Republican Eagle.

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Posted by Sally Jo Sorensen on May 12, 2013 at 04:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Republicans on tomorrow's senate vote on marriage equality: "it could be worse"

These are the glory days for the sons and daughters of the Gopher State.

It's mid-May, and the rhubarb is finally ready (albeit Bluestem's acre was a bit stiff from last night's hard freeze but nothing that a little stewing didn't solved), the walleye gods were good to the governor, and the Minnesota Legislature will not only adjourn on time, but the Senate's going to pass the Dibble freedom to marry bill.

It could be worse.

A couple of Republicans make realistic points about the freedom to marry in In just 2 years, gay marriage makes dramatic turn in Minnesota, Doug Belden and Megan Boldt's article in the Pioneer Press. Belden and Boldt report:

Views on gay marriage are evolving, [Former Minnesota House Speaker Steve] Sviggum said, and "I don't think it's good for Republicans necessarily to stand in the way of the evolution of an issue."

Democrats were out front on the issue. From Obama to the mayors of the Twin Cities, many spoke out in favor of legalizing gay marriage.

Some Republicans are pushing their party to change.

The public affairs firm of Carl Kuhl -- once an aide to former U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman and gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer, both Republicans -- started working with Minnesotans United for All Families last year to craft their message against the amendment.

Polls and surveys found that about 80 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds supported marriage equality, Kuhl said. The numbers were similar for suburban women regardless of age. And, he said, many of the younger voters aligned with Republicans on other issues but voted DFL because they saw the GOP as the opposition party to same-sex marriage.

"They could not move beyond that to vote for Republicans," Kuhl said. "And if we can't be a more inclusive party, we become irrelevant."

Could be worse. There might not have been a FitzSimmons amendment.

Photo: Bluestem is guessing there'll be more this sort of bipartisan celebration after tomorrow's vote in the senate.

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Posted by Sally Jo Sorensen on May 12, 2013 at 02:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"A very loving and supporting family, the Fritz’s": Patti Fritz & lesbian niece Liz on no vote

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.

This seems like an approach contrived to heighten divisiveness on both sides, rather than to heal and unite the state so that we can come together and work on some other very serious issues facing us as Minnesotans.

We doubt either side plans to deliberately chafe the body politic, however symbiotic the friction may seem at times.

After the vote, the editorial board of the New Ulm Journal concluded in Gay marriage vote:

Some fear that those who continue to oppose same-sex marriage will be branded as "bigots." Name calling certainly can be a problem with as volatile an issue as this, and both sides are guilty of it.

The debate in the House Thursday was remarkable for its respectful tone. Proponents and opponents alike spoke their pieces calmly, with obvious emotion, but with respect for each other and their differing opinions.

We hope people throughout the state can do the same. We have to, if we want to remain a civil society.

The "rhetorical situation" (as a comp instructor might say) that the NUJ editors describe is neatly encapsulated deep in a story published in Huckle Media's southern Minnesota papers. Buried in Steele County Representatives' 'no' votes don't derail passage of same-sex marriage bill, there's this:

[Representative Patti Fritz's] track record regarding altering the state's constitution is clear: She doesn't like messing with it. She also voted against last fall's proposed constitutional amendment that would've banned gay marriage.

And while many said on the Faribault Daily News Facebook page this week that they would like to see Fritz support same-sex marriage, none spoke louder than Liz Fritz, a niece of Rep. Fritz’s who is gay.

On Thursday, Liz Fritz said she was hurt by her aunt’s vote but that Patti is “still my aunt and I love her.” Rep. Fritz said her niece has never talked to her about her sexual orientation, but that she would be open to the conversation.

Still, she said she wouldn’t change her vote.

“I make up my own mind,” Fritz said. “But I love her as much as she loves me. We’re a very loving and supporting family, the Fritz’s, and we’ve been through a lot.”

Not all families with LGBT members are so loving, nor are their straight relatives as unbending. Take Representative Shannon Savick, in the same article:

DFL Rep. Shannon Savick, whose district includes Blooming Prairie, voted for the bill. She told the Associated Press on Tuesday that she would vote for the bill, even if it costs her re-election in 2014. She said her brother is gay, and she doesn't see why he shouldn't marry the person he loves.

“It could cost me the election. I represent a very conservative area. I hope I do enough good in other areas that they will overlook that,” said Savick, a first-term representative who defeated incumbent Rich Murray by 653 votes last November.

Bluestem hopes that Fritz and her niece will sit down and have that talk, and that our readers who favor marriage equality will be there for rural legislators like Savick (and Andrew Falk, Tim Faust, Paul Marquart, Jay McNamar, John Persell, and Joe Radinovich) who took the hard votes.

Photo: Jubilation at the capital after the House vote.

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Posted by Sally Jo Sorensen on May 11, 2013 at 08:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Full-tilt Westboro? Bachmann calls 9/11 and Benghazi attacks God's judgment on America

Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, is notorious for picketing funerals of military personnel killed in action, like Carrie French, claiming that those deaths are "Lord is punishing this evil nation for abandoning all moral imperatives that are worth a dime."

Kyle Mantyla at Right Wing Watch reports in Bachmann: 9/11 and Benghazi Were God's Judgment:

On Wednesday, Religious Right activists and members of Congress gathered together for a prayer event held in Statuary Hall at the US Capitol called "Washington: A Man of Prayer."

Among the speakers was Rep. Michele Bachmann...

And what did she have to say? Check it out:

Bachmann: It’s no secret that our nation may very well be experiencing the hand of judgment. It’s no secret that we all are concerned that our nation may be in a time of decline. If that is in fact so, what is the answer? The answer is what we are doing here today: humbling ourselves before an almighty God, crying out to an almighty God, saying not of ourselves but you, would you save us oh God? We repent of our sins, we turn away from them, we seek you, we seek your ways. That’s something that we’re doing today, that we did on the National Day of Prayer, it’s something that we have chosen to do as well on another landmark day later this year on September 11. Our nation has seen judgment not once but twice on September 11. That’s why we’re going to have ‘9/11 Pray’ on that day. Is there anything better that we can do on that day rather than to humble ourselves and to pray to an almighty God?

Lovely. Perhaps Minnesotans need a rhetorical Patriot Guard to shield us from this sort of nonsense?

Here's the video:

Photo: Some Westboro Baptist signs.

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Posted by Sally Jo Sorensen on May 10, 2013 at 05:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bullying bill: PB editorial board marks Draz's permanent record for "harshest rhetoric yet"

On Monday, the Minnesota House passed an anti-bullying bill on a 72-57 vote. Post Bulletin political reporter Heather Carlson wrote in House passes sweeping anti-bullying bill:

“We should have a bill that develop resiliency in kids and makes them strong,” said Rep. Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa. "But this one goes the other direction. Instead of making kids stronger, it encourages them into a path of victimhood."

The PB editorial board disagrees in Our View: Bullied kids aren't on 'path of victimhood':

Rep. Steve Drazkowski has said some strident things during his nearly six years in the Legislature, but his repudiation of the anti-bullying bill passed by the Minnesota House might be his harshest rhetoric yet. . . .

Drazkowski, a Republican from Mazeppa, sent a disturbing message with his criticism of the Safe Schools and Supportive Minnesota Schools Act. By using the words "resiliency" and "path to victimhood," Drazkowski essentially told bullied students to toughen up because it builds character and makes you stronger.

Tell that to Ann Gettis, a Kenyon woman whose 21-year-old son took his own life in 2006. Gettis appeared before the House Education Policy Committee, testifying that "I really believe that the years of being bullied darkened his perspective." Tell that to the families of two Rochester-area teenagers who committed suicide in 2012, with bullying being a likely factor in their tragic decisions. . . .

Read the rest at the PB. The board concludes:

We've had occasion in the past to commend Drazkowski for his candor and his willingness to take unpopular stands. On this particular topic, however, he sounds a bit like a bully.

Today, Draz is stilling making heads shake. While the House was considering a bill for a legislative water commission, the Mazeppa lawmaker got a bit off topic. Representative Danny Schoen tweeted:

Rep. Drazkowski brings up gay marriage while debating a water quality issue bill.#mnleg
— Danny Schoen (@danschoen54a) May 10, 2013

Image: The legendary chocolate zombie Draz. PhotoShop by Tild.

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Posted by Sally Jo Sorensen on May 10, 2013 at 05:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LSP: Troutfishing in America, or, the stream you save with a call to your senator may be your own

From the Land Stewardship Project:

Contact Your Senator IMMEDIATELY

Today the Star Tribune newspaper ran an editorial in support of strong regulation of the frac sand industry. The editorial, entitled "Minnesota Legislature must protect trout streams," says in part:

“Schmit’s common-sense legislation, which will likely face a critical Senate floor vote today, proposes a reasonable 5,000-foot-setback for sand mines from trout streams and the springs that feed them. Mining also couldn’t occur within 25 feet of the water table. The aim is straightforward: to protect the flow of the cold, clear waters that are the lifeblood of the region’s renowned trout fishery and, by extension, the jobs dependent on angling tourism. Cutting off springs or groundwater flow through careless excavation could reduce stream flows and increase water temperature to levels lethal to trout...The setbacks called for in the legislation are based on the best available research and would significantly reduce the risk of environmental damage. Waiting years to gather data for a more tailored approach isn’t practical. The damage to critical trout habitat may already have been done by then."

This vote is happening today on the Senate floor as early as mid-morning. Sen. Matt Schmit of Red Wing will offer his amendment on the Senate floor to the Omnibus Game and Fish Bill (Senate File 796) to protect southeast Minnesota trout streams from frac sand mining and processing.

Take Action. Contact your Senator immediately and urge them to support Sen. Schmit’s amendment. You can find your state Senator's name and contact information online here, or by calling 651-296-0504 or 888-234-1112.

Suggested message: “Today Sen. Matt Schmit will offer an amendment on the Senate floor to protect southeast Minnesota trout streams from frac sand mining. I strongly encourage you to support this amendment, which will include a setback from trout streams for frac sand mines. The Star Tribune editorial had it right today when it said that these setbacks "are based on the best available research and would significantly reduce the rise of environmental damage." I will check back in tomorrow to see how you voted on this amendment."

You can watch the debate on the Senate floor online here.

For more information on this issue, contact LSP's Bobby King at 612-722-6377 or bking@landstewardshipproject.

Posted by Sally Jo Sorensen on May 10, 2013 at 10:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Statement from DFL Chairman Ken Martin on House 75-59 vote for same-sex marriage

The Minnesota House just voted to extend the freedom to marry to all loving couples by a 75-59 vote.

The Minnesota state DFL party has released this statement:

“Minnesota has been a national leader on issues of human rights and equality over the years. Today, the Minnesota House of Representatives carried on that tradition with its vote for Minnesota to recognize the marriages of all loving people.

“We applaud legislators for recognizing the freedom to marry for same-sex couples in Minnesota. This historic vote puts Minnesota on a path to ensuring that committed, loving same-sex couples throughout the state will be able to enjoy the same freedoms and rights as others in our community.

“In any social movement, there comes a seminal moment when people can choose to either be on the right side or wrong side of history. Today, the Minnesota House of Representatives chose to be on the right side of history.”

Photo:

Posted by Sally Jo Sorensen on May 09, 2013 at 03:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Local man wants Jay McNamar to be role model for young leaders on marriage equality

West Central Minnesota native Duane Ninneman and his wife Maureen Laughlin live on a "Borrowed Farm" at the highest point in Big Stone County.

The clean energy advocate and county DFL chair likes to say he lives upstream from everyone. From that perspective, Ninnemann gets a chance to what's going with the flow. Much of his time is engaged working with and learning from young people.

"In my work, I spend a lot of time all traveling over Minnesota and beyond," he explained. "I meet many people in same sex relationships; they're members of all age groups. They're considered married from the viewpoint of people who are younger than I am."

"It's important to acknowledge what young people know," he added. "We should take our cue from future leaders. We shouldn't have to wait for a whole generation to die for young people's wisdom to be accepted."

Ninnemann hopes that his new state representative Jay McNamar remembers his background as an educator. "A true leader needs to be a role model, to represent how a leader makes tough decisions."

More practically, McNamar's base--those who first supported his campaign--favor a yes vote. Moveover, a leader is not just someone who makes decisions thinking about the next election, but on the interests of communities and the future of the state.

He believes that McNamar should vote yes to end a discussion over "divisions that do nothing to do with the serious problems that this state needs to address."

The DFL activist cites Western Minnesota's populist and innovative traditions as touchstones the freshman legislator could use. Historically the area developed the first co-ops, insisted on good public schools and innovative farming practices.

People upstream also have a deep-rooted sense of fairness and staying out of each other's business, he said. My marriage to Maureen is a great thing," he said, "and if marriage good enough for me, then it ought to be good for everybody."

Photo: Maureen Laughlin, Duane Ninneman and Max.

This original story is underwritten by a sponsorship by Minnesotans United for All Families.

Posted by Sally Jo Sorensen on May 09, 2013 at 02:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Video: archived Minnesota House marriage equality bill floor debate and vote via The Uptake

Posted by Sally Jo Sorensen on May 09, 2013 at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Winona ally wants Pelowski to continue commitment to young people, vote yes

Growing up on a farm near Stewartville, Clara Dux felt rich. "We grew our own food, we had fresh milk in the cooler," she said. Her family and church community were loving, and the local community looked out for its own.

What the 24-year-old Winona resident and active LGBT ally didn't have growing up was exposure to openly gay and lesbian people. "Although I was raised in a conservative family that belongs to a Missouri Synod Church, I didn't hate LGBT people. I just hadn't had much exposure," she said.

Then she was admitted to the University of Minnesota in Morris, which welcomes all its members. "It was a transformation for me," Dux said, "being around beautiful people, loving the people they wanted to love, while being accepted for who they are."

"My values changed dramatically," she noted, from when she was growing up, although her deep appreciation of community did not. Dux loved the small town college and its connection with the surrounding counties (Bluestem learned during the interview that we share many friends in The Bump, although a friend in Winona County suggested the contact).

At Morris, Dux joined many of her generation in supporting marriage equality. "By and large, my generation not only has no problem with the freedom to marry, we think it's the right thing," Dux said. "My friends from college are getting jobs, marrying--and if they're not in committed relationships, they're looking for someone, they want to have kids."

The upbeat young woman didn't sort out straight and LGBT friends in that statement. She went on to mention one friend, a young gay man who loves children, as the emblem for why she and her generation has a whole support marriage equality.

"Travis loves children; he wants to have his own someday," she said. "But without their parents' ability to marry even though they're in a loving relationship, those children are vulnerable if something happens to one parent or there's a split."

"The children of same-sex couples deserve the protections marriage offers children," she asserted. "I think we can create a better world, where all my friends can get married--where my children will be able to marry who they want."

Should the legislature approve the Dibble-Clark bills, as is likely, Dux thinks that Minnesota will cement its reputation as a great place to live and work. "Minnesota is a wonderful place," she said, "but people my age want to live in places that are open and supportive communities for everyone."

Dux thinks her state representative, Gene Pelowski (DFL-Winona) should vote yes on HF1054, the Clark marriage equality bill, because by doing so, he can secure his hard-earned reputation as a champion for students.

"He's been at this a long time," she said. "He's on the side of students and education. Students don't have a problem with this--pass it. Engage with us on this issue and strength your connection with young people."

"Get on this train, Gene," she said, laughing.

Photo: Claire Dux wants Gene Pelowski to vote yes today. Submitted photo.

This original story is underwritten by a sponsorship by Minnesotans United for All Families.

Posted by Sally Jo Sorensen on May 09, 2013 at 11:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fish sticks: DFL controlled legislature caves in to industrial sand industry special interests

The DFL legislature is prepared to sell out Southeastern Minnesota to industrial sand mining interests, despite widespread grassroots appeals for relief.

The Star Tribune's Tony Kennedy reports in Dwindling frac sand legislation rests on trout stream setbacks:

Environmental activists who pushed ambitious legislation to slow the advance of frac sand mining in Minnesota have been soundly defeated on their central proposals and, with less than two weeks left in the 2013 legislative session, are clinging to a fragile game and fish amendment as their last hope for a substantial breakthrough.

The amendment, which would block excavation within a mile of any trout stream in southeastern Minnesota, is strongly backed by Gov. Mark Dayton as a way to prevent an explosion of sand mining in a region where the state has invested millions of dollars over decades to nurture a blue-ribbon fishery.

But as the session winds down, even that idea is meeting resistance in a Legislature that has been largely receptive to the industry’s message that more regulation is unnecessary and will only kill jobs and economic growth.

“It’s the only substantial [frac sand] standard left this session,’’ said John Lenczewski, executive director of Minnesota Trout Unlimited.

“Everything else is just fluff,’’ said Amy Nelson, a frac sand opponent from the Red Wing area. The trout stream language, which could face a critical vote on the Senate floor as early as Thursday, has been painted by opponents as a de-facto mining ban in southeastern Minnesota. Industry supporters also say the measure is a “slippery slope’’ that could potentially hurt taconite mining on the Iron Range and even the construction aggregate business.

Another factor that the article doesn't take up is that few of the state's major environmental groups issued public policy statements or provided testimony on the proposed legislation. With the exception of Trout Unlimited and Land Stewardship Project, the citizens were largely on their own. (It will be curious to see which groups that stood silent will use this issue for fundraising--we'll let you know).

Kennedy reports that the governor will meet with industry reps today to push for the pro-trout legislation:

But Dayton told reporters Wednesday that he is cautiously optimistic the legislation will move forward.

“I strongly support that position and will do everything I can in conference committee to get it enacted,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, the governor scheduled a private meeting for Thursday with industry representatives, labor leaders and the commissioners of the Department of Natural Resources, Pollution Control Agency and Department of Health.

Bluestem hopes that he'll succeed in swaying the legislature where thousands of concerned citizens have failed. Praise goes to freshman senator Matt Schmit for listening to his constituents, unlike Winona area senator Jeremy Miller, who cast a deciding committee vote to kill Schmit's trout stream protection.

Photo: On Tuesday, St. Mary's prof Jane Cowgill, who favors Schmit's bill, held up a "fishstick." The legislature favors Mrs. Paul's over Southeastern Minnesota's trout. Photo by John Kaul.

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Posted by Sally Jo Sorensen on May 09, 2013 at 09:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Representative Andrew Falk to support freedom to marry in tomorrow's historic House vote

In April, Bluestem attended Minnesota for Marriage's anti-marriage equality rally in Montevideo. The sole purpose seemed to be to pressure Representative Andrew Falk to vote against the Clark bill to extend the freedom to marry to all loving, committed couples.

M4M even flew in a woman from San Diego to tell us not to let "the metro" force gay marriage on us. Bluestem's editor went home and asked Falk to vote yes.

This evening Falk--I relocated to Chippewa County last month, so he's now my representative--sent out an email stating that he would vote for the bill tomorrow.

Thank you, Representative Falk. It's important for leaders to be able to cast these difficult votes, especially when they concern fairness for all of us.

Here's the email:

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Tomorrow the House of Representatives will be taking up a bill to legalize same sex marriage in Minnesota. I know this has been and continues to be an emotional issue for both sides of the debate. First and foremost, the bill (HF 1054), deals explicitly with civil marriage as defined in Minnesota Statute:

§517.01 MARRIAGE A CIVIL CONTRACT

Marriage, so far as its validity in law is concerned, is a civil contract between a man and a woman two persons, to which the consent of the parties, capable in law of contracting, is essential.

The bill does not force a religious institution to marry two individuals of the same sex. Furthermore, language has been added to the bill to offer additional comfort that no religious institution will be forced to act in violation of its own religious beliefs.

Throughout this legislative session, many constituents, on both sides of the issue, have provided faith based rationale(s) in support of their position(s). Who is right? Whose faith, interpretation, or religion is correct?

Our federal and state Constitutions protect and embrace religious autonomy and the freedom to exercise our own religious beliefs or lack thereof; all with equal protection under the law. We have a separation of church and state in this country for a reason.

As constituents have voiced their concerns about allowing same sex couples to marry, I have respectfully asked how this proposed change in the law would impact that individual’s life. In addition, I have asked what would be a legal, rational argument that would allow the continued discrimination of one group of citizens over another. While I do not question any individuals’ motivations or the sincerity of their views, the arguments I have received against same sex marriage thus far have been primarily biblical in nature or simply due to the fact that the person does not like people who are gay or lesbian. Neither of which are substantive arguments when deciding law in a secular institution that grants equal protection to all citizens under the law.

Frequently the issue of children is brought up as a reason to prohibit same sex marriage. The non-partisan American Academy of Pediatrics does not support this position. Their report, “Promoting the Well-Being of Children Whose Parents Are Gay or Lesbian[i],” compiled from more than 30 years of data, rather recommends that civil marriage for same-gender couples become legal for the benefit of children. They state, “The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) supports civil marriage for same-gender couples – as well as full adoption and foster care rights for all parents, regardless of sexual orientation – as the best way to guarantee benefits and security for their children.”

Not a single person opposed to same sex marriage has stated how allowing two individuals of the same sex to marry will impact either his or her own marriage or life in a legitimate manner. Simply stating, “I don’t like it” is not a compelling argument to continue to allow the denial of happiness and equal rights to same sex couples.

The arguments have also been presented that being gay or lesbian is a lifestyle choice. It is not. Nobody chooses to be gay or lesbian; you either are or you aren’t. I never choose to be heterosexual. I just am.

GLBT rights are the civil rights issue of today. This is no different than the yesteryear movements to expand the rights of women, workers, and minorities. History has always looked favorably upon those who have stood on the side of expanded rights and freedoms.

Last summer, I married the person I love. I didn’t marry Marnie because she was a person I could live with; I married her because she was a person I couldn’t live without. We found each other and we knew we had something special.

How do I in good conscience not support that same right for all Minnesotans? A right that most of us take for granted. Marriage is about love. Marriage is about commitment. Marriage is about equality. Marriage is about finding the person that you cannot live without.

With that said, I will be voting to legalize same sex marriage in Minnesota.

Best regards,

Andrew Falk

[i] http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/131/4/e1374

Photo: One of Andrew and Marnie Falk's wedding photos. Falk writes: "How do I in good conscience not support that same right for all Minnesotans? A right that most of us take for granted. Marriage is about love. Marriage is about commitment. Marriage is about equality. Marriage is about finding the person that you cannot live without." Source: Facebook.

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Posted by Sally Jo Sorensen on May 08, 2013 at 09:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

FitzSimmons proposes elegant "civil marriage" clarification; Bakk to bring bill to floor Monday

Once upon a time--in mid-April--Minnesota state senator Scott Newman (R-Hutchinson) stood in the presence of his district's representatives at a town hall and declared to voters in the small-town cafe:

Sen. Scott Newman thinks it will be a long shot for either a bill legalizing same-sex marriage or civil unions to come to the Senate floor for a vote this year.

Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk, he said, may be a DFLer but he’s an Iron Ranger who hails from a fiscally liberal yet socially conservative district. “In the Senate, they’d have to get past (Bakk) and I doubt they can do it.”

In our post,Dean Urdahl assures town hall that some of Glenn Gruenhagen's friends are straight people, Bluestem expressed our doubts that Newman was a member of Bakk's Majority Caucus, or privy to the senate Majority Leader's thoughts.

We were on to something.

Today, Wednesday, May 8, 2103, Senate comm staffer Amos Briggs sent an email with this subject head: "Advisory: Senate Vote on Marriage Equality Bill." Contents:

Should the Minnesota House of Representatives vote to pass HF 1054, the marriage equality bill, on Thursday, May 9th, the Minnesota Senate will plan to schedule the bill for a floor vote on Monday, May 13th, with session likely to convene at 11:00 a.m.

The Senate will not be in session on Saturday, May 11th, as several members will be attending a funeral for Sen. Ruud's mother. . . .

At least one Twin Cities blogger called Minnesota For Marriage (M4M) divisive rural-vs-metro a sound strategy based on Newman's remarks. Guess both of them forgot to ask Bakk about it.

Nor did the M4M tour appear to have achieved its end--instead, rural DFL legislators began to declare their intentions to vote yes.

FitzSimmons' amendment: clarification, not compromise

Conservative Wright County Republican freshman representative David FitzSimmons (Albertville) has offered an elegant amendment that clarifies the Clark bill, removing the muddle of debate over civil unions and marriage. It may possibly also banish fears that religious groups that acknowledge only straight marriage will at some point be forced to marry queer folk within their walls.

A13-0619 inserts "civil marriage" where "marriage" is now in state law and the Clark bill.

Simple. Respectful. A clarification that supports religious freedom, but not a compromise of the essential equality of the claim to marriage of all committed couples.

Reporters are tweeting that Minnesotans United for All Families executive director Richard Carlbom agrees with the amendment:

Richard Carlbom of MNU supports GOP's Fitzsimmons amendment to use "civil marriage" in all MN law. Could net GOP votes? #gaymarriage
— Patrick Condon (@pcondonap) May 8, 2013

Here's MNU's statement:

In advance of the historic vote in the Minnesota House of Representatives on extending the freedom to marry to same-sex couples, Representative David FitzSimmons, (R – Albertville) today introduced an amendment to House File 1054 that would insert the word “civil” in front of marriage in Minnesota state statute.
Minnesotans United Campaign Manager Richard Carlbom released the following statement in response to this development:

“Minnesotans United supports this amendment, and we will encourage the members of the Minnesota House of Representatives to support it as well. Representative FitzSimmons’ amendment affirms the fact that Minnesotans want same-sex couples to have the freedom to marry in our state while also ensuring that clergy members and religious institutions are free to practice their beliefs free from government intrusion. We applaud Representative FitzSimmons for introducing this amendment, and we are hopeful that it will bring even more bipartisan support to House File 1054.”

It's unfortunate that while FitzSimmons can see the merit making the amendment but not declare support the bill as a whole. Update: Along with fellow Republicans Pat Garofalo, Andrea Kieffer and Jenifer Loon, FitzSimmons voted yes.

Representative tweets from the media:

Fitzsimmons wouldn't comment as to whether he'll vote for the final bill if his amendment isn't included.
— tomscheck (@tomscheck) May 8, 2013

FitzSimmons hasn't committed to backing bill if his "civil marriage" amendment prevails but says he has no doubt bill will pass #mnleg
— Brian Bakst (@Stowydad) May 8, 2013

Finally, the lone Republican who has declared his support for the marriage equality bill praises MNU's push for bipartisan support:

Petersen cont: "They [@mn4allfamilies] have the votes already, but I think it's great they are working toward more bipartisan support."
— Briana Bierschbach (@bbierschbach) May 8, 2013

Bluestem agrees. It's not surprising, given the group's history of hiring Republican staffers like communications director Jake Loesch.

Update: Tom Scheck's take at MPR: Amendment may garner GOP votes for marriage bill

Photos: Three guys who are so not in Tom Bakk's majority caucus (Jorge Sosa/ Hutch Leader, above); Dave Fitzsimmons (below).

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Posted by Sally Jo Sorensen on May 08, 2013 at 03:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

All your base are belong to us: MN GOP gubernatorial campaign hires trolls in SC

Diving into Politics In Minnesota's Scott Honour announces deep campaign bench, Bluestem picked up this bauble in Charley Shaw's article:

Honour’s campaign released an e-mail Tuesday afternoon announcing 12 people or their firms are working for him in positions ranging from field work to polling. . . .

Wesley Donehue, digital. Donehue is the CEO of Push Digital based in Columbia, S.C.

GOP-friendly MinnPost columnist Cyndy Brucato reported in Scott Honour, GOP candidate for governor, names campaign team:

Digital-communication duties will be handled by Push Digital.

Will Push Digital supply these services for Brand Management and Social Media? From the Push Digital website:

In many cases, people are already talking about you. Some comments are positive, while others are negative. Using new search tools, we monitor websites and social networks for activity about you. We leave blog comments, tweets and Facebook messages to respond. If the messages are positive, we begin a dialogue with the user in an attempt to recruit him/her as an activist. If the messages are negative, we push back with the truth.

In short, paid trolls.

Outsourcing the Honour troll ops to South Carolina isn't the smartest move. (We'll leave the speculation about how South Carolina rewards stalking to the smart people).

Taking a little time from our spring planting, Bluestem will do a little free concern trolling for the aspiring investment banker's grand ambition.

Invest that money in Minnesota's local troll community. Surely some of the fine folks here could use the coin and you'd help the economy of the state you adopted several years ago and you could truly say: "all your base are belong to us."

You'd own them.

Image: Screenshot of meme's origin in Zero Wing, via Wikipedia.

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Posted by Sally Jo Sorensen on May 08, 2013 at 09:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Winona County couple believe freedom to marry essential for fair and strong rural communities

Anne Morse and Jon Nicholson of Dakota, Winona County, Minnesota, who have been married since Trix was a pup, saw their own son marry last year. They can't entertain denying the happiness that they and their child have found in marriage to any other committed couple.

"My son was married last summer, and it was a wonderful event for our family, and for the new, extended family that we now are," Morse said. "His happiness with this life-changing event is obvious to all who know him, and I just can't imagine trying to prevent others from such an experience. To stand in the way of others who want to do the same would be cruel indeed."

The couple hopes that their state representative, Gene Pelowski (DFL-Winona) and state senator, Jeremy Miller (R-Winona) will vote yes in the pending votes on the Clark/Dibble bills extending the freedom to marry to gay and lesbian couples.

The Morse--Nicholson match paired a life-long state resident with a chosen Minnesota.

Morse is a member of a politically-active Minnesota family that's produced both environmental advocate and former Winona-area state senator Steve Morse and conservative activist Julie Morse Quist, spouse of perennial Republican candidate Allen Quist. Nicholson, on the other hand, is a "military brat" who picked Minnesota because of its tradition of progressive leadership.

"I grew up in a Navy family and moved all around, but lived mostly in NW Florida -- a very conservative area politically, more openly racist at the time I was a kid, with a culture strongly influenced by religious intolerance," Nicholson told Bluestem Prairie.

"After college, I spent some time trying to decide where I would like to live," he continued. "A number of factors lead me to Minnesota, but two prominent factors were the reputation that Minnesota had for a high level of education, and the moderate-to-liberal politics."

Morse, works as Winona County's Sustainability Coordinator, believes marriage equality will strengthen rural communities. "I was raised on an apple orchard, and great pride was taken in working hard and playing (though not quite enough). But I came to know that our small communities were pretty homogeneous too, and that's where we fell short," she said.

"Growing up with the same folks through grade school, middle school and then high school, it was clear that being gay or straight was not a choice," Morse recalled. "It was just who we were; some of us were straight and some of us were gay. It was obvious. But there was pressure for conformity too, and most gay friends who were honest with themselves moved away as soon as they were able. Over the years, too many friends have felt they had to leave, and I have missed have them."

"Passage of the Freedom to Marry bill will be great for Minnesota as a whole, and just fine for rural Minnesota too," she concluded. " It will keep some of our best and brightest here. It will not affect my marriage, nor that of my neighbors. Most opposition to marriage equality is based in fear, which is generally never a good basis for any decision-making. Our fears are often far worse than the reality ever is, once we confront it."

Nicholson is more laconic in stating his conclusion about the impact of marriage equality. "Minnesota will lose one more reason for people to become agitated about pointless divisions between the people," he said. "Minnesota can focus more on issues that affect the lives of the majority of people, rather than obsessing about the legal status of two people who love each other."

Her own marriage matters to Morse. "The commitment of marriage has been important to me personally, she said. "It is a tie and a connection between my husband and myself that is also acknowledged within the larger community. No explanations necessary. Our relationship was simply accepted. For others not to be able to experience this, well it's just not fair."

Her husband, a chemical engineer who runs his own small business, considers the legal benefits of marriage as an important factor in extending the freedom to marry to gay and lesbian couples. "Marriage is a legal contract, recognized by the state," Nicholson said. "This contract extends important rights and privileges, and and allows for the sharing of assets and provision of access. To withhold this opportunity from any adult is unreasonable."

Nicholson's pro-equality views also have roots in friendships with colleagues and neighbors. "Like everybody else, I've worked with gay people, and had gay people as friends and neighbor," he said. "Because I wasn't judgmental about their sexual orientation, I don't think that most gay guys or lesbians that I've known have bothered to hide it from me."

He rejects the notion that gay men and lesbians can find happiness in straight unions. "Gay men and lesbians have married members of the opposite sex because society (and families) expected them to, but what I've seen and heard about from these marriages has been that it just created misery for all of the people involved," he observed.

"Misery is not good for anyone, and does not help build a society or state where people can reach their personal best or contribute their best to our country's welfare," Nicholson believes. "Let people marry whom they choose -- and let the legal benefits of marriage (including such benefits as health insurance, survivor benefits, etc.) be available fairly, to everyone who commits to a married life."

Echoing a viral video meme, Nicholson sees another bonus for Minnesota with the passage of the marriage equality bills.

"I look forward to the day when heterosexual guys can compete only against each other for heterosexual women to marry," he said, "and not have to compete against guys (better-dressed guys!) who secretly would rather be with men."

Photo: The wedding of Morse and Nicholson's son Ian's to Caitlin last summer.

This original story is underwritten by a sponsorship by Minnesotans United for All Families.

Posted by Sally Jo Sorensen on May 07, 2013 at 03:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MN House to vote Thurs on marriage equality; Senate Finance Committee hears bill today

Given the trend of rural Democratic house members announcing their support (or leaning toward support) of state representative Karen Clark's freedom to marry legislation, Bluestem was overjoyed but not surprised to receive statements from the Minnesota House and Minnesotans United for All Families that HF1054 would be scheduled for a floor vote on Thursday.

The note from the House was straightforward:

This morning the Minnesota House Rules committee will meet to calendar HF 1054, the marriage equality bill, for a House floor vote on Thursday, May 9th.

The House floor session will begin today at 9:00 a.m. and is expected to recess shortly after. The House Rules committee will begin 5 to 10 minutes after the recess, at approximately 9:30 a.m in State Capitol Room 118.

Minnesotans United for All Families was more exuberant:

Today, the Minnesota House of Representatives announced that HF1054, a bill to extend civil marriage to same-sex couples while strongly protecting religious freedoms in our state, will receive a vote on the House floor on Thursday, May 9.

House leadership has repeatedly said that HF1054 would not come before the House floor until the necessary 68 votes to pass it were secured. Today’s announcement signals that those votes have been secured and that the freedom to marry legislation will pass and move to the Senate floor for a final vote.

“Thursday’s vote in the Minnesota House of Representatives will be a historic victory for thousands of same-sex couples and families in our state,” said Minnesotans United Campaign Manager Richard Carlbom. “We are confident that the necessary votes to extend the freedom to marry for same-sex couples have been secured and that HF1054 will pass the House floor. The Minnesota House of Representatives is now poised to make Minnesota the next state to grant civil marriage to same-sex couples and their families by affirming what we already know to be true: Marriage is about the love, commitment, and responsibility that two people share, and it is a basic freedom that should no longer be denied to some simply because of who they are.”(emphasis added)

The Associated Press reports via WDAY in Minnesota House schedules Thursday gay marriage vote:

The Minnesota House has scheduled a Thursday debate and floor vote on the bill to legalize same-sex marriage in the state.
House DFL leadership announced the plans Tuesday. House Speaker Paul Thissen has previously said that scheduling the vote would be a signal that DFL leaders secured the 68 votes needed to pass the bill.

The Dibble bill to legalize gay marriage in Minnesota faces one more step before the full Senate can vote on it. The Senate Finance Committee this morning considers a whether it will be worth $678,000 a year in addtional costs to the state.

Watch the Senate Finance Committee archival footage here at The Uptake:

Contact your representative and senator to ask them to vote yes on extending the right to marry to loving same-sex couples.

Image: The happy new image from MN United for All Families.

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Posted by Sally Jo Sorensen on May 07, 2013 at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

VIDEO: MN House Ways and Means Committee passes HF1540 freedom to marry on voice vote

The Minnesota House Ways and Mean Committee passed HF1540, the marriage equality bill, on a voice vote after a brief discussion of the cost of benefits for 114 same-sex spouses of public employees.

The Uptake reports:

Before the full Minnesota House of Representatives can vote on same-sex marriage, the House Ways and Means Committee had to approve the estimated $678,000 annual cost to the state. The bill passed on a voice vote.

The Senate Finance Committee will take up a similar measure on Tuesday. If passed, both the Senate and the House appear to have no more hurdles for a floor vote other than leadership allowing a vote to happen.

Image: Minnesotans United for All Families countdown: Day 14.

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Posted by Sally Jo Sorensen on May 06, 2013 at 08:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ways and Means to the Freedom to Marry: Poppe leaning yes, Pelowski says heaven can wait

Journalists are tweeting about the potential Ways and Means Committee action that state representatives Jeanne Poppe (DFL-Austin) and Gene Pelowski (DFL-Winona) favor when the committee reconvenes and takes up HF1504, representative Karen Clark's marriage equality bill.

Rochester Post Bulletin political reporter Heather Carlson tweeted:

DFL Rep. Jeanne Poppe to vote yes on gay marriage in Ways & Means, leaning toward yes vote on House floor.
— Heather J. Carlson (@PBhcarlson) May 6, 2013

Poppe had been listed by the Pioneer Press as undecided on Friday, as we noted in Out of the closet & into Greater MN's main streets: freedom to marry, equality in the news.

Politics in Minnesota's Brian Bierschbach tweeted:

In email, Winona Rep. Gene Pelowski says gay marriage should come after budget work is done, adding: "There is next session." #mnleg
— Briana Bierschbach (@bbierschbach) May 6, 2013

Bierschbach clarified in a later tweet that she had asked about his gay marriage vote and the veteran Winona politician responded by email.

For more background on the action in the Ways and Means Committee, check out MN House Ways & Means Committee to hear HF1054, marriage equality bill, Monday, May 6.

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Posted by Sally Jo Sorensen on May 06, 2013 at 01:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Greater Minnesota Rep. Tim Faust (DFL-Hinckley) announces yes vote on freedom to marry

Hinckley's DFL state representative Tim Faust has voted with the minority on some issues this session, but today he announced that he's one more "yes" voter toward the freedom for all loving Minnesota couples to marry the people they love.

WDIO (ABC) reports in Another Northland DFL'er Backs Gay Marriage:

DFL state representative, who's also a Lutheran pastor, says he'll vote to legalize gay marriage.

Rep. Tim Faust, of Hinckley, is among a group of rural House Democrats whose votes are pivotal to the gay marriage bill's success or failure. He had been undecided coming into the session, but says Monday he thinks the bill would simply let individual churches decide whether or not to perform same-sex unions.

Faust says he knows some constituents will be disappointed but he hopes they give him a chance to explain his decision.

Faust was genuinely undecided. He had spoken at the Minnesota For Marriage anti-freedom RV stop in Hinckley in April, making clear that he had not made up his mind. Days later, he also attended the snowbound marriage freedom rally at the capital. Bluestem noted in Kid fears: M4M sends a mailer to St. Charles and warms up the RV for the weekend road trip:

On Saturday, KARE-11 reported in Anti-gay marriage rally held in Hinckley:

. . .State Representative Tim Faust of Hinckley told the crowd that he was not entirely sure why he was speaking to them since he had not decided yet how to vote on the gay marriage bills moving through the legislature.

"I will always, always give you the opportunity to convince me that you're right. Always. and the problem is that I also will give the other side the opportunity to convince me that they're right too. It goes both ways," said Faust.

He invited those assembled to write and call him with their opinions. . . .

The Strib reports today:

Rep. Tim Faust, DFL-Hinckley, has been one of the most watched members of the House on the marriage issue. He’s an undecided DFLer from a largely rural area that voted overwhelmingly for an amendment in November that would have banned same-sex marriage in the state Constitution.

A week ago, Faust had told a group of gay marriage opponents that he was unsure how he would vote.

On Thursday, Faust said for the first time that he is leaning toward legalizing same-sex marriage — even if many of his constituents disagree.

Faust stood to the side of the rally Thursday, unprotected from the sleet and rain. He said nearly all the arguments against same-sex marriage are biblical but noted that many devoted people view it the other way.

“Then the question becomes, do we have the right to impose our religious belief on others?” Faust asked. “If the reason we are arguing we shouldn’t be doing this is because of religious beliefs, it’s pretty hard to make that argument.”

Moments later, state Rep. Karen Clark walked up to Faust. The Minneapolis DFLer is a lead sponsor of the same-sex marriage legislation.

She locked arms with Faust and smiled. Then the two walked though the driving sleet back to the Capitol.

Momentum is clearly on the side of fairness for all loving couples. Will any Republican house member have the courage to break with their caucus's socially conservative hive mind to join with prominent party leaders who support individual freedom when it comes to marriage?

Photo: Representative Tim Faust (DFL-Hinkley).

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Posted by Sally Jo Sorensen on May 06, 2013 at 12:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mindful of his own story, Detroit Lakes area widower speaks out for the freedom to marry

Among the benefits of the freedom to marry, the ability to see a loved one though sickness and health, until death do you part--as wedding vows put it--is one of the more emotionally difficult and expensive propositions facing gay men and lesbians seeking to marry the people they love.

Jim Lilya, a 50-year-old Detroit Lakes area man, and his partner John Rusch spent a small fortune in legal fees to secure their rights in the nearly 25-year-long relationship they shared. Rusch passed away nearly two years ago.

Rusch's memory stays strong for Lilya, as does his passion for making sure that other loving couples will be able to enjoy the simple equal protection that he and John were never quite able to obtain.

"We always wanted to be married," Lilya said in an email to Bluestem. "We thought of ourselves as married, we lived together as a married couple. We had our family with two dogs, our house that we fixed up for most of those years, our yard and gardens that we tended together.

Lilya regrets that he and Rusch were never able to marry. "We were a couple but in reality we weren't married," he recalls. "We never had a ceremony inviting all of our friends and relatives to share in our love and our commitment to one another. We never were able to stand up and say 'I take this man, to have and to hold, to love and to honor, to cherish. . .Til death do us part.'

When Rusch died, Lilya was devastated emotionally, but was able to retain the home the couple made together. "I'm glad we had the forethought to have wills because I don't believe I would have been able to keep all that we had together," Lilya said. "I was on great terms with his family... but when it came down to it, I think they would have taken his half. I would have had to sell my home. Give them a vehicle. Probably half the money in our accounts."

While Lilya and Rusch were able to able to afford to hire a lawyer to write their wills, he worries about that many same-sex couples can't afford the expensive process of creating wills that won't be easily disregarded or challenged.

"The cost of the wills was a financial burden on us," he said. "I can't imagine what same sex couple go through without wills, because they can't afford them or don't think to get them. Married [straight] couples don't have these issues."

"Even with the wills, I had to spend even more money that I didn't have because there was some ambiguity about ownership," he added.

For the widowed Lilya, the freedom to marry comes down to basic Minnesota Nice fair play.

"It is not fair that tax paying citizens are not given equal rights in this state or this country for that matter," he said. "It is not fair that loving same-sex couples relationships are not given the same respect and dignity as heterosexuals."

Regardless of how his state representative Paul Marquart (DFL-Dilworth) votes in this afternoon's consideration of HF 1054 by the House Ways and Means Committee or when the bill is brought to the floor, Lilya's experience as a widowed gay man in Minnesota has created the political will to keep up the fight for freedom and equality.

"We are not second class, and we won't be treated as such," he wrote. "We now know our value and we are not going to stop until we have equal rights and treatment."

Note: The Minnesota House Ways and Means Committee will take up the bill in the afternoon after the committee reconvenes following the day's noon floor session. Readers can watch the committee hearing at this link at The Uptake, time TBA, and learn more about the process in MN House Ways & Means Committee to hear HF1054, marriage equality bill, Monday, May 6.

Photo: The late John Rusch (left) and his surviving "life partner" Jim Lilya (right), along with their beloved dogs, Rufus and Rocko (above); it's Day 14 of the Countdown to Pass The Freedom to Marry.

This original story is underwritten by a sponsorship by Minnesotans United for All Families.

Posted by Sally Jo Sorensen on May 06, 2013 at 12:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bluestem Prairie

News from Greater Minnesota and South Dakota

May 2013

May 12, 2013

Schmit takes to skies to protect trout; no deal announced after Dayton's Thursday meeting

Republicans on tomorrow's senate vote on marriage equality: "it could be worse"

May 11, 2013

"A very loving and supporting family, the Fritz’s": Patti Fritz & lesbian niece Liz on no vote

May 10, 2013

Full-tilt Westboro? Bachmann calls 9/11 and Benghazi attacks God's judgment on America

Bullying bill: PB editorial board marks Draz's permanent record for "harshest rhetoric yet"

LSP: Troutfishing in America, or, the stream you save with a call to your senator may be your own

Contact Your Senator IMMEDIATELY

May 09, 2013

Statement from DFL Chairman Ken Martin on House 75-59 vote for same-sex marriage

Local man wants Jay McNamar to be role model for young leaders on marriage equality

Video: archived Minnesota House marriage equality bill floor debate and vote via The Uptake

Winona ally wants Pelowski to continue commitment to young people, vote yes

Fish sticks: DFL controlled legislature caves in to industrial sand industry special interests

May 08, 2013

Representative Andrew Falk to support freedom to marry in tomorrow's historic House vote

FitzSimmons proposes elegant "civil marriage" clarification; Bakk to bring bill to floor Monday

All your base are belong to us: MN GOP gubernatorial campaign hires trolls in SC

May 07, 2013

Winona County couple believe freedom to marry essential for fair and strong rural communities

MN House to vote Thurs on marriage equality; Senate Finance Committee hears bill today

May 06, 2013

VIDEO: MN House Ways and Means Committee passes HF1540 freedom to marry on voice vote

Ways and Means to the Freedom to Marry: Poppe leaning yes, Pelowski says heaven can wait

Greater Minnesota Rep. Tim Faust (DFL-Hinckley) announces yes vote on freedom to marry

Mindful of his own story, Detroit Lakes area widower speaks out for the freedom to marry

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