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…
Monday, May 13, 2013
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 …
The Minnesota Senate takes up bill at noon Central Time on Monday, May 13, 2013. The Minnesota House approved it last week, so Senate approval sends it to conference committee and the governor's desk.
A bill to legalize gay marriage in Minnesota is set for debate and a vote in the Minnesota Senate starting at noon on Monday, May 13, 2013. Watch livestream video here or at The UpTake. To read more about the Minnesota Legislature's action on the Same-Sex Marriage issue, click on the following headlines: • Minnesota Senate Next Hurdle for Gay Marriage Bill • Minnesota House Approves Bill Allowing Same-Sex Marriages • On Social Media, Support for Minnesota Same-Sex Marriage Strong
Friday, May 10, 2013
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.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
After Tuesday's approval of the same-sex marriage bill by House and Senate committees, we want to know if you think the issue should be addressed in schools.
On Tuesday, two committees in the Minnesota Legislature passed same-sex marriage bills, which moved them to the next step: approval or rejection by the full House and Senate. Discussions about gay marriage aren't confined to politics. Last year's proposed consitutional amendment and this year's bills are leading to conversations in homes and churches. But should those discussions move into public school classrooms? After same-sex marriage was legalized in New York, Chancellor Merryl Tisch, the head of the state Board of Regents, said the issue should be added to districts' curriculums. "We have to think of, how we do discuss gay marriage thoughtfully, respectfully and sensitively," Tisch said. "There has to be age-appropriateness." Same-…
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Senate Judiciary Committee sent same-sex marriage bill to full Senate on 5-3 vote.
Despite Republican Sen. Dan Hall's no vote, a same-sex marriage bill moved from committee Tuesday to the full Senate. (Click on YouTube from The UpTake to see her comments, or watch them at YouTube.com.) The Minnesota Senate Judiciary Committee approved Senate File 925, a bill extending marriage rights to same-sex couples, on a party-line 5-3 vote Tuesday afternoon. Hall spoke against the bill, saying he was a nice guy—not a "bigot" as some have called him—but, he said, he has an opinion. To watch video of the committee's discussion and vote on the bill, click on the video at the top of this post or watch it at the UpTake's Livestream webpage. A highlight of the debate was extended back-and-forth between opponent Sen. Warren Limmer (R-…
Friday, January 4, 2013
With so many challenges on the table, Patch wants to know what issues you think are most important.
With another legislative session just around the corner, senators and representatives have no shortage of challenges ahead of them. Lawmakers plan to convene hearings on gun control in the wake of the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, CT. They’ll review a recommendation from a governor-appointed task force to increase gas taxes and tab fees in response to a projected $50 billion shortfall in transportation funding. The DFL majority and defeat of the marriage amendment in the 2012 election could even prompt the Legislature to take up the issue of gay marriage. And looming over everything is a projected $1.1 billion deficit that legislators will have to close before adjourning for the year. With so many issues on the …
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Participants were urged to turn the same-sex marriage debate toward the personal.
Lakeville resident Veda Kanitz' favorite sister is in a committed relationship with another woman. Paul Melchert met his partner James eight years ago and fell in love while training for a triathlon. It was stories like these that marriage amendment opponents shared during a town hall meeting in Eagan on Tuesday evening. The meeting, organized by Minnesotans United for All Families and held at their Eagan office, was designed to present and refute the arguments of Minnesota for Marriage, the group supporting the proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in Minnesota. Kate Brickman, the press secretary for Minnesotans United, said she wanted to bring together parents, citizens and experts (a pediatrician spoke at the …
Mike Hindin
4:06 pm on Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Orono, Unfortunately the Catholic Church, Russian Orthodox Church, & the Lutheran Church taught anti-Semitism in the form of "blood libel' ("Christ Killers") They also used the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion", a forgery by the czars secret police. All of which made it easier for Germans to pass Nuremburg laws the beginning of a long tortuous extermination of 1/2 of the European Jewery. We … more ›