It seems like same-sex marriage is on a roll in the U.S. as more and more states pass laws to extend marriage rights to the LGBT community. And now it appears that Minnesota is set to become the 12th state to legalize same-sex marriage.
According to the Associated Press, on Monday the Minnesota Senate passed a bill, 37-30, that would legalize same-sex marriages in the state, and Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton has pledged to sign the bill, and scheduled a ceremony at 5 p.m. today on the front steps of the Capitol in St. Paul to do so.
Minnesota is now the first state in the Midwest to legalize same-sex marriage and the third to do so in the last 10 days.
“Members, God made gays and God made gays capable of loving other people. So who are we to quarrel with God’s intentions?” said Sen. Ron Latz, a Minneapolis democrat, said during the Senate’s four-hour debate.
Of course, not all Minnesotans were happy about the bill, including former presidential hopeful Michelle Bachman, who said the bill “denies religious liberty to people who believe in traditional marriage.”
However, others lawmakers were insistent on sharing equal rights with the LGBT community.
“I could never and I would never deny the kind of recognition and all the other positive things I get out of my marriage with my husband, to anyone else,” said Sen. Vicki Jensen, a Democrat from the southern Minnesota city of Owatonna.
We commend the Minnesota lawmakers for voting on the right side of history and hope that other states follow suit. Check out some other jurisdictions that recently legalized same-sex marriage below. –nicholas robinson
