Tuesday afternoon, Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton (DFL) signed the state’s marriage equality bill into law at a public ceremony. Addressing the crowd, Dayton applauded the state’s progress from defeating an anti-gay constitutional amendment to passing full equality:

DAYTON: What a day for Minnesota, and what a difference a year and an election can make in our state! Last year there were concerns that marriage equality would be banned here forever. Now, my signature will make it legal in two and a half months. First and foremost, I want to thank the people of Minnesota who voted last year to defeat a very destructive constitutional amendment and also to elect courageous legislators who would support this monumental social advance. I want to thank the activists… who worked so long and so hard to win this extraordinary victory. [...]

Last week, I suggested to you legislators that you read John F. Kennedy’s Profiles in Courage book. Instead, you wrote its latest chapter. By your political courage, you join that pantheon of exception leaders who did something truly extraordinary: you changed the course of history for our state and our nation.

Watch his full remarks and the signing:

Minnesota is the 12th state to recognize marriage equality. The law takes effect August 1.

Opponents of marriage equality are licking their wounds after Monday’s passage of marriage equality in the Minnesota Senate, assuring The Land of 10,000 Lakes would become the 12th state recognizing same-sex marriages. Despite polling showing a majority of Minnesotans support the bill, conservatives have suggested otherwise, with Tom Prichard of the Minnesota Family Council calling its passage “a hostile takeover.”

A statement from the Minnesota for Marriage coalition suggested it was a “sad day” for the state that will have “unintended consequences”:

Today is an historic and sad day for the state of Minnesota. As a result of years of campaigning by gay “marriage” activists awaiting a time when DFL leadership in the Minnesota legislature and governorship would be ready to champion their cause (contrary to the will of Minnesotans), the Minnesota Senate joined the Minnesota House of Representatives in passing the same-sex “marriage” bill. This bill not only upends our most foundational institution of marriage, redefining it as genderless and declaring mothers and fathers as “neutral” in Minnesota—it also fails to protect the most basic religious liberty rights of those who believe based on their faith that marriage can only be the union of one man and one woman. [...]

Now we are being told that redefining marriage poses no threat to religious liberty—that “everything will be ok”—and again, we argue that this is false.  Over one million Minnesotans will be forced to either affirm what they believe to be false or subject themselves to prosecution and insult as “bigots” and “criminals” under our law with the passage of this bill.

Minnesota will be discovering the unintended consequences and sentencing more and more people of faith to prosecution under our laws for years to come as a result of this decision made by a few today.

The statement covers many familiar talking points: Somehow marriage is weaker if it is “genderless.” People of faith should be free to discriminate against same-sex couples. The LGBT movement is “powerful.” None of them ring any truer in hindsight.

The National Organization for Marriage also chimed in, suggesting the lawmakers “cast a terrible vote that damages society, tells children they don’t deserve a mother and a father, and brands supporters of traditional marriage as bigots.” As always, the group promised retaliation against Republicans who supported the bill, even though past retribution campaigns have led to more Democrats being elected — making the effort counterproductive.

Minnesota marks six state victories for marriage equality in about as many months. Opponents seem desperate to prove that they are made victims by these changes in the law, but their only examples continue to be individuals intent on blatantly discriminating against same-sex couples. For all their “pro-family,” “what’s best for children,” and “protect the institution of marriage” arguments over the years, their opposition all boils down to a will to discriminate in the end. They may object to being called bigots, but every time they do, it becomes more clear to the public that that is exactly what they are.

After over four hours of debate, the Minnesota Senate voted 37-30 on Monday to pass marriage equality legislation, cementing Minnesota as the 12th state to recognize the marriages of same-sex couples. The vote was largely along party lines, with only three Democrats voting no and only one Republican, Sen. Branden Petersen, voted yes. The House passed the bill on Thursday with a 75-59 vote, and Gov. Mark Dayton (DFL) has promised to sign it as early as Tuesday. It will take effect August 1st.

Throughout the discussion, conservative opponents attempted to amend the bill to create religious exemptions from the state’s nondiscrimination protections. These efforts would have allowed private businesses like bakers, florists, and photographers — which are not inherently religious — to willfully deny service to same-sex couples. These attempts to legalize discrimination failed.

Just this past November, Minnesota voters defeated a proposed constitutional amendment that would have banned same-sex marriage. Since then, support for marriage equality has only continued to grow, with a recent poll showing that a majority of Minnesotans now favor the change. Division remains among those who live in urban and rural areas, and many Democratic lawmakers from rural areas faced tough decisions because of the social conservative views of many of their constituents.

Anticipating today’s vote, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman (DFL) renamed the Wabasha Bridge across the Mississippi River as the “Freedom to Marry Bridge” for this week, and it was adorned with rainbow flags flanking its breadth.

Minnesota is the third state to pass marriage equality in 2013, joining Delaware and Rhode Island. When Minnesota defeated its anti-gay amendment in November, three other states successfully passed marriage equality: Maryland, Maine, and Washington. That’s progress in six states in just over six months. Illinois’s legislature may still consider a same-sex marriage bill before the session is over.

The Minnesota House of Representatives approved marriage equality (HF 1054) by a vote of 75 to 59. It now proceeds to the Senate, where it has already been endorsed by both the Judiciary and Finance Committees.

Openly lesbian Rep. Karen Clark (DFL), author of the bill, told her colleagues that “Freedom means freedom for everyone.” With her support, the House unanimously adopted an amendment by Rep. David FitzSimmons (R) changing all references to “marriage” in the state law to “civil marriage.” An amendment by Rep. Tim Kelly (R) to replace all Minnesota marriages with civil unions was rejected, 22 to 111.

The Senate will take up the bill Monday and Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk (DFL) has said he believes he has the votes to pass it.

Gov. Mark Dayton (DFL) has promised to sign the bill and has said enactment would represent “a society-changing, breakthrough moment” for the North Star state.

Minnesota voters rejected a 2012 marriage inequality constitutional amendment (with just 47 percent voting in favor) and a recent poll found 51 percent of Minnesotans now support marriage equality.

Following in the footsteps of the House Ways & Means Committee Monday night, the Minnesota Senate Finance Committee voted today to advance the marriage equality legislation by a voice vote. Both chambers are now prepared for floor votes on the bills, and there is reason to be optimistic.

Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk (DFL) said last week that he thinks the Senate has the necessary votes to pass it. House Speaker Paul Thissen (DFL) suggested he wouldn’t schedule a House vote unless it was sure to pass, and just this morning, the House Democratic Caucus announced it was scheduling a floor vote for Thursday. According to House Majority Leader Erin Murphy, “We are confident that we have the votes to pass it.” Depending on how soon the Senate schedules its vote, Minnesota could pass marriage equality before the end of the week.

The Minnesota marriage equality bill took a pit stop this afternoon in the House Ways & Means Committee, where it passed by a voice vote. According to the Star-Tribune, which endorsed the legislation this weekend, the purpose for the additional committee’s consideration was the fact that 114 state employees would enroll their same-sex spouses in state benefits, which would cost $688,000, some of which would be supplemented by the issuing of marriage licenses. The Minnesota House Civil Law passed the bill 10-7 back in March, advancing it to the full House floor. A recent poll found that a 51 percent majority support marriage equality in Minnesota.

A new Survey USA poll shows that a 51 percent majority of Minnesota voters now support changing state law to recognize marriage equality. The division was narrow, however, with 47 percent saying they oppose the proposed legislation now pending in both chambers of the legislature. Just this week, the National Organization for Marriage was boasting that the polls opposed marriage equality, but the newest results suggest otherwise. Consistent with other polls on the issue, support was higher among women, young people (including 58 percent of 18-49-year-olds), and those who identify as Democrats or independents.

 

The National Organization for Marriage’s Jennifer Roback Morse has been one of the most outspoken opponents of not only marriage equality, but of gay people themselves. Whether she’s claiming that same-sex couples’ children resent them or reiterating her belief that homosexuality is a chosen behavior and so gays and lesbians should be celibate for life, she always finds a creative way to demonstrate how little she understands the lives of LGBT people, and this weekend was no exception. Speaking before a few dozen attendees at an anti-equality rally in Montevideo, Minnesota, Morse claimed that marriage equality has so little to do with “marriage” that it would simply be a “government registry of friendships”:

MORSE: When Vaughan Walker overturned Prop 8, he came up with a purpose of marriage that was completely gender-neutral. He said something like, “It’s the state recognition for two people who want to share their commitment with one another, and share resources, and take care of any dependents, if any,” you know? If you look at that purpose, there’s nothing there about children. It doesn’t even have to be a sexual relationship… It’s nothing but a government registry of friendships.

Now why would we need a government registry of friendships? We don’t! We don’t need that. No one needs that. And so the next step after removing the gender requirement from marriage will be — must be — to say, “Who needs marriage at all? Let’s get rid of it. It’s stupid. It doesn’t do anything.”

Watch her full remarks:

It’s unclear how Morse defines family. Walker’s definition, as paraphrased, suggests family units that share resources, take care of each other, and raise children. Those seem like really important reasons to marry, not to mentions protections that marriage can guarantee for all families. Same-sex couples are just as capable of making loving life commitments to each other and just as capable of raising families. By reducing them to “friendships,” Morse proves that she either doesn’t know what she’s even talking about or, more likely, doesn’t care.

As Minnesota legislators prepare to consider marriage equality legislation, the bill’s opponents have begun sending out mailers targeting undecided lawmakers. Heather Carlson, reporter for the Rochester Post-Bulletin, tweeted a Minnesota for Marriage mailer targeting state. Sen. Matt Schmit (DFL), suggesting that marriage equality would “erase moms and dads”:

Gay “marriage” in Minnesota … it could happen any day now…

Don’t let the metro area force gay “marriage” on the rest of the state.

Together we can stop this from happening, but we need you to act NOW.

Don’t erase moms and dads.

Call Senator Matt Schmit and tell him to vote NO on the gay “marriage” bill.

Schmit has not publicly taken a position on marriage for same-sex couples, but he was elected in November by a district in which a majority of voters supported the constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, which failed. During his campaign, he did speak out against that amendment, but avoided taking a clear position on marriage equality itself.

The “erase moms and dads” motif echoes testimony provided by 11-year-old Grace Evans to the Minnesota legislature earlier this year. The National Organization for Marriage featured video of her remarks at its March for Marriage, in which she asks, “Which parent do I not need, my mom or my dad?” Though the committee holding that hearing did not respond to most people that day, NOM likes to claim no one [was] able to answer that basic question.” But in truth, Grace’s question is an irrelevant strawman built on the assumption that parenting is determined by gender norms. The child of a same-sex couple could just as righteously claim, “Which of my moms do I not need?”

The insinuation of this mailer from Minnesota for Marriage — of which NOM is a coalition member — is that the relationships of same-sex couples are inferior in both the context of “marriage,” as demonstrated by scare quotes around the word, and in terms of raising children. Marriage equality doesn’t erase moms and dads, it recognizes more of them by ensuring same-sex families have the same protections as other families.

Watch NOM’s propaganda video featuring Grace’s testimony, which does actually erase Minnesota’s hundreds of same-sex families: