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(Minneapolis) - Today's introduction of an extreme and divisive effort
to amend the State Constitution to bar any form of legal recognition for
same-sex couples reveals that this is about far more than marriage, says
Ann M. DeGroot, Executive Director of OutFront Minnesota, the state's
leading organization serving the gay,
lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community.
"Not content with mandating government discrimination in marriage, this
proposal goes much further, confirming what we've said all along: this
is more about attacking same-sex couples for political gain than about
presenting a so-called 'defense of marriage,'" declared DeGroot. "The
State's public policy goals in the area of family-promotion are not
advanced by exiling families from the protection of the law."
Coming just days after the endorsement by President George W. Bush of a
proposed federal constitutional amendment along similar lines, today's
introduction of language in Minnesota smacks of political opportunism,
not thought-out social policy, said OutFront Minnesota Public Policy
Director Monica Meyer. "This initiative is intended to harm families
headed by same-sex couples, while doing nothing to help families headed
by mixed-sex couples," she stated. "Pandering to the political agenda of
selected extremists does nothing actually to benefit Minnesota families,
especially not those who currently enjoy no legal recognition
whatsoever."
Polls suggest that neither the state nor federal constitutional
proposals have overwhelming support despite the alarmist rhetoric of
their supporters, observed OutFront Minnesota Legal & Policy Analyst
Phil Duran. "Although polls show that Americans are divided over the
issue of whether same-sex couples should have the same right to civil
marriage as different-sex couples, most reject the notion that
constitutions should be changed. Most people realize instinctively that
constitutions are designed to discourage, not enshrine, discrimination."
DeGroot stated that the current nationwide discussion regarding the
legal status of same-sex couples is likely to generate greater awareness
of the day-to-day ramifications of being forbidden to marry.
"Ultimately, we believe the attention brought to the inequities faced by
same-sex couples will build a strong majority supporting extension of
legal protections to those families, to the benefit of the entire
community" she declared.
View the text and authors of the proposed
Minnesota Anti-Marriage Amendment.
Contact:
Monica Meyer, Public Policy Director
(612) 822-0127, ext. 115
Ann M. DeGroot, Executive Director
(612) 822-0127, ext. 107
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