HEADS UP: Keep it about gay rights or the thread gets closed. For reelz, yo.
So, Gay Marriage Ban is up for vote in Minnesota in 2012.
BUT:
Mark Dayton Vetoes Minnesota Gay Marriage Ban Amendment
In a symbolic move, Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton vetoed an amendment that seeks to ban gay marriage in the state.
The Democrat, who earlier pledged to fight the effort with “every fiber of my being,” was joined by two openly gay lawmakers – Representative Karen Clark and Senator Scott Dibble – at a Wednesday news conference at the Statehouse.
On Saturday, the Minnesota House approved the amendment that seeks to define marriage as a heterosexual union and sent it to voters for their approval. The question will appear on next year's ballot.
While acknowledging that his veto won't stop the question from appearing on the ballot, Dayton said he wanted to “speak out strongly against” the amendment.
Minnesotans should “reject this mean-spirited, divisive, un-Minnesotan and un-American amendment,” Dayton said.
“The civil or legal realm of marriage is the province of government and it must conform to the protections and guarantees afforded every American citizen under our Constitution.”
“All American citizens are entitled to equal rights and protections under the law. That would clearly include the right of a citizen to marry legally the person he or she loves.”
“The path of social progress in this country has been to include everyone fully and equally. This path of social progress, of human compassion and understanding, would be tragically reversed by this amendment. Minnesota is better than this. Minnesotans are better than this. I urge Minnesotans to reject this amendment," Dayton added.
Dibble said the proposed legislation “sends a signal to young people who've been so disheartened by the actions of our legislature, who've been sent such a negative message, a message of being marginalized, a message that our constitution is not for them.”
“Our governor is saying, 'That's not the case,'” he added.
“We are going to love this thing to death,” Clark told reporters.
EXCEPT
Group Asking For 'Respectful Debate' On Gay Marriage Calls Gay People Pedophiles
The Christian conservative group Minnesota Family Council, which asked for a “respectful debate” on a public vote to amend the state constitution to ban gay marriage, believes gay people are likely pedophiles and “abnormal.”
Minnesota lawmakers on Saturday agreed to put the amendment on next year's ballot.
If approved by voters in 2012, Minnesota's Constitution would be amended to define marriage as a heterosexual union, thereby banning gay and lesbian couples from the institution.
After the vote, Tom Prichard, president of the group – which has led the fight to get the amendment on the ballot – said he hoped that Minnesotans could have a “respectful discussion” that refrains from becoming “personal.”
But documents excavated from the group's website by GoodAsYou.org blogger Jeremy Hooper reveal Prichard's more likely approach.
In several documents, the group asserts that gay people are more likely to be pedophiles, that being gay is a choice and that gay people are not normal.
“The homosexual population includes a disproportionate number of pedophiles,” the group claims in it's “legislative manual.” “Many prominent homosexuals and organizations have the stated objective to remove age-of-consent laws from state statutes.”
“The social acceptance gay rights laws give to homosexual behavior creates a climate in which opportunities for homosexual behavior multiply.”
“Some homosexuals, especially lesbians, consciously choose a homosexual lifestyle as part of a political agenda.”
“Accepting homosexuals as 'normal' victimizes homosexuals themselves. If a person has a disorder, it is far worse to tell him that he is fine (and encourage him to blame society for problems associated with his disorder) than to point out his problem and offer a means of help.”
“What gay rights laws ask for is a special privilege for homosexual behavior not generally available to other groups identified by aberrant behavior – such as those who commit incest, adultery, bestiality or pedophilia.”
The group also objects to anti-discrimination laws based on sexual orientation and all forms of legal recognition for gay and lesbian couples.
This is gonna get messy. I hope.
Posts
This one you gave to give them. God forbid our society turns into one where homosexuals don't have to be afraid to be who they are.
"If you legalize homosexuality, homosexuals will act all gay and stuff. Which is gross."
Denying a group their civil rights should never be put up to a popular vote.
This really should be the next Constitutional amendment.
"The 28th Amendment: The Wolves and the Sheep do not get to vote on what to have for dinner."
How about "No State shall... deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."?
The legislature apparently tried to make some slight changes in order to prepare for court challenges, but they don't believe it's enough to keep the law.
“Accepting homosexuals as 'normal' victimizes homosexuals themselves. If a person has a disorder, it is far worse to tell him that he is fine (and encourage him to blame society for problems associated with his disorder) than to point out his problem and offer a means of help.”
Isn't the only "problem" associated with the "disorder that is homosexuality" social persecution? I mean, aren't disorders and diseases usually characterized by, well, feeling bad INSIDE? I mean, I have a disorder... The social stigma associated to it doesn't help me, but it's not the worst part about it, the worst part about it is how it makes me feel.
I don't know, if I suffer from a disease which symptoms are exclusively things like Loss of civil rights, social shunning, persecution and such, I would think I'm not the one who needs to be cured.
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And you'd be wrong!
They cure you by ruining your life until you're like them. Problem solved.
I'm not sure why this is in reply to me since you seem to be agreeing.
Because you're a godamn turtle!
No, I read "letting consenting adults do whatever they want to and with each other" to be "go ahead and let everybody vote on stuff what's harm". Apologies and whatnot and wherefore.
You'd be surprised how bad our "Oh, it'll work out, I don't need to bother" mindset is.
:^::^::^:
The important moment will be where Santorum comes into the equation. His frothy rhetoric could be the messiest part of the whole [strike]debauchery[/strike] debacle.
Santorum was right!
For some reason this particular bit made me chuckle. We all know that those homosexuals are just lying about it to reap all the social benefits that come with being gay, but those lesbians are just extra sneaky.
MWO: Adamski
But, on the other hand, some gay guy got beat up downtown the other day, though probably not related, more like just some drunk dudes wanted to beat up a guy. The shouting of slurs didn't help. Lest I give you the wrong opinion about here though, this is the first time I've ever heard of anything like this happening and there was a rally today in support of this guy.
but they're listening to every word I say
To be fair, there is a grain of truth to this, in that some 70's feminists said that true feminists became lesbians.
I have no idea why people think gay is equivalent to pedophile though. There isn't any evidence for that. I've also heard fears that gay people are going to rape other guys randomly, which is incredibly silly. So, MN is a bit of a mixed bag, but I think things will turn out right in the end.
Lot's of Catholics who hate on the gays though...
but they're listening to every word I say
I can't wait for the day when I can say I'm Catholic to a gay rights supporter without having to explain that I'm not one of the hypocritical ones.
I absolutely hate people that hide behind religion to hate people. Gives me a bad name.
That said, I really doubt that the anti-gay marriage thing will come to pass here, because our state is something like 45% Democratic voters, 37% Republican voters, 8% Independant voters (Independance is an actual party here, thank you, Governor Ventura), and 10% swing. The Independance party is like the Libertarians, only, you know, actually Libertarian instead of Tea Party Crazy. They believe in personal rights (including for gays, women, etc), low taxes, and fiscal responsibility. The only reason we had Tim Pawlenty for eight years is because the Independants siphoned off Democratic voters (he never had over 50%).
So, even if the Independants don't vote for the Democrats in 2012, they'll probably vote to not fuck over gay people.
I absolutely cannot wait for at least one of the bigger Christian denominations to say "gays are ok".
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The pedophilia thing requires knowing some vague misinformation and making some leaps of logic while ignoring actual causation. Victims of childhood sexual abuse have a higher chance of developing some form of sexual "abnormality"(I'm trying to be scientifically neutral, so don't go reading into my word choices here), including both homosexual tendencies and pedophilia. So it's technically possible that pedophilia and homosexuality have a barely higher overlap than other groups, even though it's plainly obvious that there's no actual correlation. So bigots manage to get their hands on some incomplete summaries of studies and jump to the conclusion that best fits their worldview(big surprise there).
Gay Marriage Ban Proponents Delete Documents Linking Gays To Pedophilia, Bestiality
Rachel Maddow Looks Like A 'Dude,' Gay GOP Leader's Husband Says
I know lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of very devout Christians who adamantly support gay rights. So I'm certainly one you wouldn't need to explain it to. We even have a pro-Gay Catholic church in Minneapolis. They get in LOTS of trouble but they're still there and they're absolutely wonderful people.
That's because, to gays, your conservative politics are both mystifyingly self-defeating and dangerous to their civil rights as a whole.
To conservatives, your being gay just makes you their house boy.
Though to be fair, they also elected Al Franken, who is as awesome as Bachmann is terrible.
Man, don't bust our chops over the Sixth District. We feel bad enough about it as it is. Fact is, the Sixth is ridiculously gerrymandered so that it will pretty much always be conservative.
*grumble*grumble*stupid St. Cloud*grumble*
Franken was BARELY elected and had to fight for months for it.
There is absolutely no guarantee we'll vote down the ban and people really need to stop saying we will. That complacency will guarantee the thing getting voted into law. The main opponents of the ban are younger people and voter turnout on younger people is always pretty shitty.
I also think it's really cool how she's being supportive without also pretending to understand the struggle or anything like that.
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You and me both. I'm a Christian who lives in the south and doesn't think gays are abnormal beasts and pedophiles.
OH MAN WHY DO I LIVE DOWN HERE
Wow, mad props.