Legislative Update: 7/15/05

From The Executive Director:
Special Session Ends Without Constitutional Amendment. What Now?

The Special Legislative Session adjourned Wednesday night without a bill which would provide for a constitutional amendment on the 2006 ballot banning legal recognition of same-sex relationships. To date, we have made it through two regular sessions and one special session without this amendment passing.

Thanks to everyone for your vigilance over the last two years. Constant and respectful communication with legislators, attendance at OutFront Minnesota's justFair Lobby Day, willingness to come out over and over again, and letters to the editor are just a few of the things that have made the difference again this year.

Know this though - supporters of the constitutional amendment want it on the ballot very badly. They are organizing now for next year. They are pulling out all of the stops.

So are we.

OutFront Minnesota continues to lead the efforts statewide to make sure that this amendment does not become law. We are:

• present daily at the legislature during sessions,
• organizing those in support of GLBT rights throughout the state to act on their own behalf and in concert with a coordinated plan,
• researching background information for use by legislators and constituents,
• educating people about how to talk about GLBT issues (particularly, at this point in time, the constitutional amendment) in schools, neighborhoods, workplaces, civic groups, and communities of faith,
• coordinating efforts with other like minded organizations both within and outside of the GLBT community, and
• representing GLBT rights and issues in the general public including the media

But we cannot do this alone.

The first order of business is to keep this amendment off of the ballot in November 2006. This can be done.

Over the next month, you will receive OutFront Minnesota E-News each week. Read them. They will give you information about what strategies and tactics we are using to counter the vicious attack from right wing extremists. They will also give you ideas about what you can do.

In September, we will have a community meeting in which we roll out the plan for the next 16 months. We hope you will join us.

Thanks for all you have done to get us to this point. In advance, thanks for all that you will do to keep Minnesota from enshrining discrimination into its constitution.

Ann Marie DeGroot,
Executive Director

One of the easiest ways to keep informed about events in Minnesota is by joining the Citizen Q Network, our statewide, e-mail activist network.

OutFront Minnesota is a non-partisan organization serving the GLBT and allied communities of Minnesota. All services including voter guides, voter information, and voter registration are made available without regard to a voter's political preference or on the basis of support or opposition to a particular candidate.