Musician Mark Gunderson and his wife Jean, a nurse, see themselves as ordinary citizens who value fairness.
"We’re average middle class Minnesotans, college educated and employed in our respective occupations for many years," Mark wrote in an email interview with Bluestem. "We always try to be aware of public issues important to all Minnesotans."
The Winona couple, described by a mutual friend as "well-loved" in their community, wants state senator Jeremy Miller to vote yes for the freedom to marry when the Dibble marriage equality bill comes up for consideration by the Minnesota state senate.
Their voices join those of Clara Dux, and married couple Anne Morse and Jon Nicholson in wanting their state senator to vote yes. Although the DFL majority has the votes to pass the bill, they'd like to see Miller join other Republican (Branden Peterson in the Senate; Pat Garofalo, David FitzSimmons, Andrea Kieffer and Jenifer Loon in the House) in supporting the core values of equality, fairness and inclusiveness.
"Our state Senator should vote yes for this bill because quite simply it’s the right thing to do," Mark told Bluestem Prairie. "Marriage equality is important to us because we feel it is or should be a human/civil right for people to have the right to marry who they love."
The question of civil rights for everyone isn't entirely abstract for them, but has been brought home by the experiences of a family member.
"Over the last several years we’ve had an opportunity to learn more about gender issues as our daughter navigates her way through establishing her own identity. She’s taught us a lot," Mark confided in his email.
"We favor marriage equality because this will allow same sex couples who marry to enjoy the same benefits as heterosexual couples," he noted, adding that the passage of the bill will make the Gopher State truly "Minnesota Nice."
"Passing the freedom to marry bill will help the state become more inclusive and accessible for all families," Mark said.
The Gundersons understand that some fellow Minnesotans fear change, but Mark cited a phrase by the state's most well-known singer-songwriter in hopes of relieving that anxiety. "If we were to sit down with an opponent of the freedom to marry bill we would say: 'the times they are a changin’'. Ten years from now, no one will care."
Photo: Mark and Jean Gunderson.
This original story is underwritten by a sponsorship by Minnesotans United for All Families.
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