Marriages Begin in MN and RI

Same sex couples are now able to marry in Minnesota and Rhode Island.  Congratulations, everyone!

From the Star Tribune:

The streets outside Minneapolis City Hall were filled with newly-wedded gay and lesbian couples reveling in their new marital status Thursday morning while inside dozens more waited their turn in lines that lasted until dawn. 

Down the street at the Hotel Minneapolis, Cathy ten Broeke and Margaret Miles, the first couple legally wed in Minnesota, partied into the night, wearing the same slinky dresses they wore 12 years earlier at their commitment ceremony. This time, ten Broeke said with some satisfaction, was different because this “was the state of Minnesota committing to us and our family.” 

Mayor R.T. Rybak worked through the night and early morning hours, officiating the weddings of 42 gay and lesbian couples on the marble steps of the City Hall Rotunda where, at the bottom, the massive Father of Waters statue was surrounded by folding chairs, wedding guests and dozens of clicking cameras.

And from the Providence Journal: 

From Newport to Pawtucket, Rhode Islanders Thursday visited city halls at the first moments on the first day that marriage licenses are available for gay couples.

In Newport, Federico Santi and John Gacher came in promptly at 8 a.m. to the City Clerk's office to get their marriage license.

They had waited 41 years for this and within a few minutes the documents were signed and the couple were married. They were the first same-sex couple to marry in Newport under a new state law.

Congratulations, everyone!

Revolution Rainbow Communion (Voices of Faith)

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Voices of Faith

The Rev. Jay Bakker moved his Revolution church to Minneapolis just in time for the marriage equality vote, and in its honor, used a rainbow loaf for communion.

"[T]he rainbow communion bread became a really beautiful thing," explains Bakker. "It was special to honor Chirst as well as to honor those LGBT people who didn't make it this far and hope for a better future. It became a real source of redemption."....

Bakker reports that the rainbow communion has gotten people questioning his orthodoxy. He responds that "I don't think Jesus is insecure about sharing communion with others, including gay folks who suffered. So many lives have beeen lost because of what Christians say and preach. Heterosexisim and homophobia are deadly."

Marriage in MN: Majority Leader knocks it out of the park

Marriage Debate Bingo

From Minnesota Public Radio, here's a Bingo Card just in time for today's debate.

MARRIAGE DEBATE BINGO
"Activist judges"	Legislator who cares about the 2014 election proclaiming "I don't care about the 2014 election."	"Think of the children"	"I am not homophobic."	Person unable to see partner in hospital story.
Draws parallel to slavery.	"The people of Minnesota have voted."	"Indoctrination"	Lawmaker acknowledges he/she's gay.	Bill fails.
Rainbow tie.	Mention of any gay member of the military.	FREE	Citation of any poll.	Debate halted while legislator recognizes winner of a spelling bee in the gallery.
Any mention of marrying an animal	"Only love matters."	Mention of gay family member.	"The gay lobby."	"Erosion of the family unit."
Bill passes.	"The flavor of the month"	Legislator gets tongue-tied trying to say "L-G-B-T"	Any legislator changes his/her mind during debate.	"God"

Baptists against the MN amendment: video Sunday

In the states

The Box Turtle Bulletin has a great overview of the four states that are facing votes on equality this season. We have a good chance in WA, and maybe ME, but the others are going to be much closer. If you can help-- if you live there, or know people who live there, be an advocate for equality. Click on the images below to go to the campaigns for ME, MD, MN, or WA.

Game over: the NFL effect

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo is a supporter of marriage equality. Remarkably, an elected official, Maryland state delegate (and preacher) Emmett C. Burns Jr. wrote the owner of the Ravens a letter (PDF) demanding that Aynbadejo be silenced for daring to express an opinion to that effect. The NFL doesn't limit its employees' speech,  so nothing came of it.

Then, a colorful response to Delegate Burns came from punter Chris Kluwe of the MInnesota Vikings. Although ridden with profanity, it's quite funny and has created an internet storm of approval. Indeed, the only person coming out of this badly is the Delegate attempting to silence someone with whom he disagrees.

 Both Maryland and Minnesota have Prop-H8 style amendments on the ballot this election. I hope the players "coming out for equality" will have an effect in those states.

  Writes a columnist in the Sun-Times,

I don’t want to spend the whole column quoting Kluwe, but he asks Burns a question that should be put to all fearful haters who believe a few lines in their particular faith’s special book will excuse their loathsome bias forever: “Why do you hate freedom? Why do you hate the fact that other people want a chance to live their lives and be happy, even though they may believe in something different than you, or act different than you?” 

Now other NFL players are also speaking out. Which should remind the bigots-hiding-behind-Bibles that when you’ve lost pro athletes, you’ve lost. Freedom is a one-way street. Blacks don’t contemplate a return to slavery. Women don’t agonize whether getting the vote was a good or bad thing. Having fought their way out of the closet and tasted the joys of daily life, unafraid and unashamed, gay people are never going back. That’s just a fact. You can be among those who helped, or you can be a stumbling block, but the end result will be the same. Me, I went online and joined the Chris Kluwe Fan Club.

Voices of Faith Speak out: Welcome all the children (video Sunday)

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Voices of Faith

Catholics for Marriage Equality in Minnesota sing out for young people for dignity and inclusion. Here's what they sing,

"O, may our hearts and minds be opened,
fling the church doors open wide.
May there be room enough for everyone inside.
For in God there is a welcome,
in God we all belong;
may that welcome be our song."

Now THAT'S Catholic.

Remember to VOTE NO on the amendment in MN!

Video Sunday: talking about marriage in Minnesota

There's an anti-marriage amendment in MN too. This testimony from the First Universalist Church in MN makes a great case to oppose it. Share widely!

Indoctrinating youth? Youth pushes back.

The Roman Catholic Church in Minnesota is vigorously fighting to pass an anti-marriage equality amendment.  Fortunately, Catholics in MN are starting to push back.  Here's what happened when the Archdiocese sent representatives to a Catholic High School to meet with seniors (who will be eligible to vote in the fall), to "teach them about marriage". Student Matt Bliss begins the story.

"When it started going downhill when they started talking about single parents and adopted kids. They didn't directly say it, but they implied that kids who are adopted or live with single parents are less than kids with two parents of the opposite sex. They implied that a 'normal' family is the best family." 

"When they finally got to gay marriage, [students] were really upset," said Bliss. "You could look around the room and feel the anger. My friend who is a lesbian started crying, and people were crying in the bathroom." 

Bliss was one of several students who stood up to argue with the representatives from the archdiocese. One girl held up a sign that said, "I love my moms." 

 Student Lydia Hannah continues the tale.

Hannah said students were anxious when they heard about the program and were suspicious because only seniors were required to go. "We put two and two together," said Hannah. "All of us will be able to vote next fall [on the constitutional amendment that limits marriage to same-sex couples]." 

Hannah said the presenters briefly brought up the amendment but backed off when students got angry. 

A priest and a volunteer couple presented the information. When someone asked a question about two men being able to have a quality, committed relationship, the couple compared their love to bestiality, Bliss said. 

"Most people got really upset," said Bliss. "And comments about adopted kids, I found those to be really offensive. There were at least four kids there who are adopted." 

Hannah, who is adopted, said one of the presenters said that adopted kids were "sociologically unstable." She called the comments "hurtful" and comparisons between gay love and bestiality upsetting.  

"My friend said, 'You didn't just compare people to animals, did you?'" said Hannah.

 ....

Asked if he thought the comments of the presenters were appropriate, [the Vice Principal] referred me to the archdiocese.

Am I the only one who finds this breathtakingly horrible?  Adopted kids "sociologically unstable"?  Gay relationships "bestiality"?  Gay children rejected and sobbing?  Way to go, Roman Catholic hierarchy.   You've been reading too many NOMtweets. Here's how to support equality in MN:

Lots of activity in the individual states.

Here's a great summary by AP about all the activity in the states this year over marriage equality.  In brief:

MN and NC citizens will vote on amendments to ban marriage between same sex couples, while

ME will try to get the voters to support marriage in a referendum.

MD , WA and NJ have legislative efforts to legalize marriage between same sex couples, while

NH has a legislative effort to repeal marriage equality

In the judicial sphere, we're still waiting for the next chapter of the Prop8 case. At least 8 DOMA cases are winding their way through the courts.

One town's war on gay teens

Rolling Stone has a searing article about the rate of suicides in the Anoka-Hennepin School District in Minnesota (Michelle Bachman's district). It is a must read, as it shows how a culture grew up in which teachers were not allowed to make any positive references to gay people, and literally looked the other way as gay kids were bullied mercilessly. At the same time, the local right wingers explained the spate of gay suicides as having nothing to do with bullying, and entirely reflecting the "unhealthiness" of being gay.

 This is an utter failure of institutions that should put a child's welfare first. It's a shameful example of the bigotry, ignorance and hatred against which we must continue to fight--and a shameful example of how so-called "Christians" can be anything but.  Here's a selection (my emphases) but you should definitely read the whole thing 

 Yet while everyone in the district was buzzing about the neutrality policy, the board simply refused to discuss it, not even when students began appearing before them to detail their experiences with LGBT harassment. "The board stated quite clearly that they were standing behind that policy and were not willing to take another look," recalls board member Wenzel. Further insulating itself from reality, the district launched an investigation into the suicides and unsurprisingly, absolved itself of any responsibility. "Based on all the information we've been able to gather," read a statement from the superintendent's office, "none of the suicides were connected to incidents of bullying or harassment."  

 Just to be on the safe side, however, the district held PowerPoint presentations in a handful of schools to train teachers how to defend gay students from harassment while also remaining neutral on homosexuality. One slide instructed teachers that if they hear gay slurs – say, the word "fag" – the best response is a tepid "That language is unacceptable in this school." ("If a more authoritative response is needed," the slide added, the teacher could continue with the stilted, almost apologetic explanation, "In this school we are required to welcome all people and to make them feel safe.") But teachers were, of course, reminded to never show "personal support for GLBT people" in the classroom.

Marriage coming to Washington State? Maryland?

The Governor of Washington has agreed to sign a marriage bill if it comes to her.  Yesterday it was announced that there are enough votes in the state Senate, along with enough votes in the House.  It is a good bet that the State of Washington will legalize same sex marriage.   Yeah, Washington!

Meanwhile, the Governor of Maryland is introducing a marriage equality measure today. 

The Baltimore Sun reports that O’Malley’s staff worked throughout the day to fine-tune the religious protections language in the bill, which the governor said in a briefing would make the bill “a little clearer” and, he hopes, ensure that it enjoys “additional support” in comparison with a similar bill that failed last year.

Let's not forget, though, that anti-equality amendments are on the ballot in MN and NC.

Marriage in New Jersey?

New Jersey has civil unions, but the courts there have determined that civil unions are not treated equally to marriage.  Remarkably, the New Jersey Democrats in the legislature have made marriage equality a top legislative priority.  The challenge will be the Republican governor, who is (of course) opposed:

The support from [Senate President] Sweeney marks a significant new advantage for the legislation, according to advocates. He declined to vote on the measure in 2010 when it failed by a 20-14, and has since called his abstention the biggest regret of his political career. Then governor Jon Corzine had promised to sign the bill if it reached his desk. 

“This is about doing what’s right and ensuring full equal and civil rights for all New Jerseyans,” said Sweeney. “Two years ago, I made a mistake in abstaining on marriage equality — a mistake that means same-sex couples continue to be denied the very basic civil right to live their lives as they wish. But today isn’t about me correcting my mistake, it’s about correcting a mistake for thousands of loving couples across the state who want nothing more than to be treated equally as their neighbors.”

So, an interesting year in equality.  Maryland and Washington are also pushing legislatively for marriage, while Minnesota and North Carolina are threatening constitutional amendments against.

How do they do it? The roadmap of the anti-equality forces

Writing over at Pam's House Blend, Alvin McEwan lays out the roadmap used by the anti-equality forces over, and over, and over again.  A must-read.

The North Carolina Legislature has passed a bill to allow its citizens to vote on a state constitutional amendment against gay marriage.

The majority of folks in NC are against this amendment but that is considered a minor detail by the organizations and people pushing it. ...

The untold narrative usually goes like this:

People in the targeted states are so generally worried about more pressing issues that they allow their legislatures to be the first salvo in what can be called an invasion, i.e. laying the groundwork by passing a bill, thereby forcing constituents to vote on the matter.

Then an organization – usually the National Organization for Marriage – is the second part of the invasion via its virtually unlimited funds supplied by secret donors (which the group has fought tooth and nail not to reveal), that pays for the inundation of robocalls, mailers, and commercials spinning a multitude of lies about gays harming children or gays persecuting Christians, or gays causing all sorts of mayhem in general if the amendment is not passed.

At the same time, the organization stroke the egos of area pastors and public leaders....

The organization – again usually NOM – wins the vote and while it brays about how “the community stood up to protect marriage,” the community in actuality deals with strife, hard feelings, broken families, and generally not understanding why their votes to “protect marriage” hasn’t put food on their tables, more money in their paychecks, or made their lives better.

All of this is documented from all the past battles: Prop8 (CA), Question 1 (ME), etc etc. Now we have Amendment 1 (NC), as well as the vote in Minnesota. The lies begin. The hate. The families and friends divided. We still haven't recovered in California. The damage was huge. That's what MN and NC face next. Sadly, that will be true regardless of the outcome--becuase the damage is done not just by the vote, but by the campaign.

Republican allies in MN

Rep Kriesel, a veteran, gets it. Would that more did.

Minnesota Bishops and DVDs against equality

In Minnesota, there's a possible constitutional amendment coming up banning marriage between same sex partners. The Catholic bishops are sending DVDs to their flock to endorse the amendment, which would also prevent civil unions.

One creative response is from an artist Lucinda Naylor who wants to take the DVDs and make an art piece. She lost her job over it (she worked for The Church) but her motivation is pretty compelling.

She said her anger with the church's actions on gay marriage dates to the spring when three friends with gay children protested Nienstedt's interpretation of the Catholic position on homosexuality.

She said the archbishop wrote back to all three, telling them that those who could not agree with "the teachings of the Catholic Church on homosexuality ... ought not participate in the sacramental life of the church." The archbishop added that the mothers' "eternal salvation" could depend on their adopting the church's position on homosexuality.

So Mothers, reject your children. It's the Catholic way. The mind boggles.

Fortunately, as often the case in RC politics, the priests and the people have more sense. Many Catholics oppose the Bishops' assault on GLBT families. (Remember that Catholic laiety are one of the strongest supporters of marriage equality in this county: 60% of Catholics find gay relationships morally acceptable. In California, for example Hispanic Catholics are much more supportive of marriage equality than Hispanic protestants.) And a Catholic priest wrote this letter to the paper (I expect he'll be stepping down soon....)

In every serious study, poverty is the top reason for marital breakdowns. It is very hard to make the case that a small percentage of the population who bond with members of their own sex and seek to live in a committed relationship could have anything but a positive effect on the general population's appreciation of stable, faithful, life-giving unions.

The very thoughtful letters to the editor about this subject reflect the fact that Catholics have very diverse opinions about this issue. The bishops themselves are not united on how to approach this new reality of gays and lesbians claiming a right to have their own families publicly recognized with corresponding rights and responsibilities....

The constitutional amendment being promoted by the archbishop does not allow even for civil unions, and it would limit current rights enjoyed by our gay and lesbian citizens. We as Catholics can have our own beliefs about marriage. But we must recognize that people of other faiths and of no faith have conscientious beliefs as well.

Most scandalous is that Archbishop Nienstedt has compromised his office with the use of anonymous money to fund this effort. The constitutional amendment is a very political issue. The impression is given that political funding is at work here.

More on this brave priest here.

The Roman Catholic church is entitled to opposed marriage between gays and lesbians on doctrinal reasons, of course. But don't forget the blatant hypocrisy of a church that does not try to prevent civil divorce or remarriage between the divorced (also doctrinally forbidden). This hypocrisy proves that it is personal, not doctrinal. Telling a mother to abandon her gay child for salvation is more of the same. The bishops of the hierarchy hate gay people and it is vicious.

For more about the scandalous attacks by the ROman Catholic hierarchy on my civil rights, NOMexposed

H/T JCF, Madpriest, and slksfca