Minnesota and marriage

Posted at 5:46 PM on February 22, 2010 by Bob Collins (6 Comments)
Filed under: Politics

Same-sex marriage returned as an issue to the Minnesota Capitol on Monday when a House committee heard from several lawmakers who have bills before the Legislature to make it easier for same-sex couples to marry here or have their marriages recognized in Minnesota. These are the first hearings ever on the subject in Minnesota.

Proponents used economic arguments for easing restrictions on same-sex marriage in the state.

"One of the things we need to do is attract high quality, high-talent employees to move here," Rep. Ryan Winkler told the House Civil Justice Committee, advocating his bill that would require Minnesota to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. "If you have a highly-talented employee who is working in Iowa and is married there, you're asking them to give up a civil right to move to this state.

Rep. Phyllis Kahn said Winkler's bill will be easier to pass than hers. It would allow same-sex marriage in Minnesota. Among other things, her bill states:

The state should not interfere with the religious beliefs of its people. Just as a church or religious denomination that objects to same-sex marriage has the right to refuse to solemnize those marriages, a church or religious denomination that believes in the valueof same-sex marriage should have the right to solemnize those marriages.

Bouncing his daughter, Olivia, on his lap, Chris Dolan told the committee about why a birthmother selected him and his husband, Ryan, out of all the prospective couples.

"She said the best example of her life of a healthy relationship was a gay relative and her partner," he said, also making an economic argument by noting that both pay higher tax rates and have to buy additional insurance because neither is entitled to Social Security spousal benefits.

"Failure of this state to recognize our marriage is financially hurting our daughter," he said.

"Does she need a mother?" Rep. Steve Drazkowski, R-Wabasha asked.

"In the world we live in today, families come in all shapes and sizes and Olivia sees the love and support. I think we're doing a good job," he said.

"Our state seems to have codified one interpretation of Scripture into its laws," said Rev. Doug Donley, pastor of University Baptist Church in Dinkytown. "It seems to be a violation of the freedom of religion."

Dale Carpenter, professor at the University of Minnesota Law School, said he's a lifelong Republican and conservative. "Conservative support for sex-sex marriage can best be summed up by P.J. O'Rourke: 'Gays want to get married , have children, and go to church. Next thing you know they'll be advocating for school vouchers and be protesting HBO.'"

Carpenter said the rise of gay families has changed the debate over same-sex marriage because children do not have protections that children of heterosexual couples do. "The debate has largely been a duel of abstractions and unsupported claims," he said. "Sap still runs from maple trees in Vermont, Massachusetts still taxes its citizens with abandon, Canadians still don't have a national identity, and Iowa is just as boring as it was a year ago. There have been no negative effects on homosexual families are the children raised in them."

"Marriage is a faithful, exclusive, lifelong relationship between one man and one woman," countered Michael Becker of St. John's Divinity College Seminary at the University of St. Thomas, speaking on behalf of Catholic bishops. "Marriage between one man and one woman forms a nucleus. It forms a strong and healthy environment for children to be raised up. Marriage is a fundamental building block of our culture. Same-sex marriage contradicts the nature of marriage."

"They feel trapped by a brain that gives them no choice but to participate in a dysfunctional way of life," Dr. Bill Harley said of homosexuals The marriage counselor said homosexuality is a choice. "They can change that orientation if there's a good reason to do so," he said.

At least two other bills at the Capitol would provide for a Constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage but sponsors said they did not want the bills aired today, committee chairman Joe Mullery said.

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Comments (6)

Last week I was at a town hall meeting for my state senator, Satveer Chaudhary. After thanking him for his support of GLBT issues, I asked whether Senator Marty's marriage equality bill had enough support to override a certain veto, allowing my gay and lesbian friends to finally be married and enjoy the same rights and benefits that my wife enjoy. Of course he said the votes aren't there, but it surprised many in attendance that he would support the bills.

He surprised me too though. He asked me if I could name some of the legal benefits of marriage I was talking about. I mentioned Project 515, which has highlighted the numerous instances in MN statutes whereby a right or benefit is conferred on a couple due to being married. I started out with the right to see your spouse in a hospital. One woman indicated that you can get a health directive. My response was that I don't need to carry paperwork on me at all times in the event my wife should be injured in an accident, as many gay couples do. My thoughts went to a woman Dick Gordon interviewed last year on 'The Story'. Her wife had a brain aneurism while on vacation and she was denied visitation for most of the final hours of her wife's life as the hospital debated the documents that she produced.

I continued on with property rights, inheritance rights, tax implications. With each point the same woman responded with another legal document that could be obtained. After 4 or 5 of these exchanges I stopped. I end by saying that my wife and I didn't return from our honeymoon and sit down for a few days with a lawyer to prepare all of these documents. We had these rights and benefits from the moment we signed the marriage certificate.

I doubt I changed this woman's mind, but the man sitting next to her held up his survey on the issues that Senator Chaudhary had handed out, pointed to the question about marriage equality, and told everyone that I had convinced him. He changed his answer to supporting equality. It was a such a moving experience I nearly cried. I hadn't seen where the discussion might lead when I asked the first question.

We're going to achieve equality by convincing one person at a time that it's just a matter of fairness. Many gay and lesbian couples have had the courage to come out and show us that their families are like ours in virtually every way. It is now up to straight allies to have the courage to stand with them. The churches can debate all day long about whether they want to marry gay people. As painful as it is, you can always leave a church. But civil marriage, with the civil rights and benefits guaranteed by laws and statues, should belong to all loving couples willing to make the commitment.

Posted by Al Heebsh | February 22, 2010 9:19 PM

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The high failure rate of heterosexual marriages seems to fly counter to using it as the sole moral compass to define what a proper marriage should look like.

Posted by kennedy | February 23, 2010 11:45 AM

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Al - Project 515 does a lot of really good work. It's one of the few clients I donate my money to.

Personally I would love to see government get out of this marriage business in the first place, but it is so embedded in law not sure how to make that happen in a pratical way.

Posted by BJ | February 23, 2010 12:26 PM

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I would suggest reading Arcanum by Pope Leo XIII, it is an excellent document that deals with the issue of marriage and the Church.
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/leo_xiii/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_10021880_arcanum_en.html

Posted by Michael | February 23, 2010 7:35 PM

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Project 515 is a great organization! They came to speak at my student group, and it was eye-opening to realize the discrimination LGBT folks experience in every aspect of their lives.

Keep up the great work!

Posted by Rian | February 24, 2010 7:16 PM

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Thanks, all for the comments related to Project 515 - much appreciated! Al, I'd love to get a chance to talk with you - give our office a call if you'd like. 612-246-3885

Posted by Ann Kaner-Roth | February 25, 2010 9:04 AM

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