Community Corner

Legislature Sends Marriage Amendment to 2012 Vote

Sen. Scott Dibble, who was married to his husband in 2008, urged supporters to continue the fight.

Members of the Minnesota House voted to put a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman in front of voters on the 2012 ballot.

Despite an emotional five hour debate, the vote came in at 70-62, mostly along party lines, although four Republicans voted against the bill. The question will appear on the Minnesota ballot as a constitutional amendment in 2012.

The debate consisted mostly of testimony from opponents of the bill. South Minneapolis Rep. Jeff Hayden (DFL-Minneapolis) said his own marriage, because it's interracial, would have been illegal at one time.

“It is days like this that define you as a legislator,” Hayden told his colleagues, urging them to stand for their conscience. “This is when you know if you’re going to get the job done.”

Freshman Rep. John Kriesel (R-Cottage Grove), a veteran of the Iraq War who lost both legs in combat, was one of the Republicans to vote against the bill. “This amendment doesn’t represent what I went to fight for,” Kriesel told his colleagues.

The bill’s House author, Rep. Steve Gottwalt (R-St. Cloud) said the constitutional amendment was just an attempt to give voters a voice in an important issue. He brushed off criticisms that it violated the state or federal Constitution.

Find out what's happening in Southwest Minneapoliswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"I'm not here to interpret it vis-à-vis the bill of rights," Gottwalt said. "The 30 other states that have taken this approach have also, in their amendments, where they decided to do this, been found constitutional."

Rep. Frank Hornstein (DFL-Minneapolis) told the story of a couple from the Kingfield neighborhood of Minneapolis who struggled to get information as one of the partners fell ill.

“Jim had really no access to the medical info,” Hornstein said. “A partner for 15 years, the doctor wouldn’t tell him, he wasn’t next of kin.”  

Hornstein also mentioned the wedding of Sen. Scott Dibble, who was married to his husband Richard in 2008.

“I want all to understand that in voting no [on this bill], we are voting so that Scott and Richard and Jim and Dwayne and countless others can say, ‘I do’ to a life of commitment, ‘I do’ to a life of love, ‘I do’ to a life of responsibility, ‘I do’ to creating a secure family and future with each other,” Hornstein said on the House floor.

After the vote, Dibble spoke to protesters, who made their presence known by chanting and singing throughout the debate.

“This movement keeps rolling on from today because we shall overcome,” Dibble told the crowd. “We are going to roll out of the Capitol and we are going to roll over the plains and prairies of Minnesota and we are going to show Minnesota who we are.”

Find out what's happening in Southwest Minneapoliswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"We've just begun to fight," the crowd chanted.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here