Contributed by Brandon Gil, Advocacy Associate, World Without Genocide
We call people who stand up against injustice ‘upstanders,’ people who, despite personal risk, advocate for human rights with courage and conviction. In 1970, upstanders Jack Baker and James Michael McConnell defied social norms when they applied for a marriage license in Minneapolis. They were turned down because of their same-sex status.
Deciding that this was unfair and unconstitutional, the couple filed suit. This led to a now-infamous decision by the Minnesota Supreme Court affirming the denial of the marriage license to Baker and McConnell. Although the Court acknowledged that marriage is a fundamental right, the Court nevertheless denied this right to same sex-couples. Jack and James, a loving and committed couple, would not be able to have their marriage legally recognized.
On May 31, 2011, thirty years after this binding Minnesota Supreme Court decision, the Minnesota House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly (7-62) to put LGBT equality in the hands of Minnesotans during the November 2012 election. The November ballot will ask whether the Minnesota constitution should be amended to define marriage as between one man and one woman. If a simple majority answers in the affirmative, same-sex couples will not only still be prevented from getting married, but discrimination will also have been successfully etched into the law of our state.
During the long debate on that night in May, four Republicans stood up for marriage equality: Tim Kelly (R-Red Wing), John Kriesel (R-Cottage Grove), Rich Murray (R-Albert Lea), and Steve Smith (R-Mound). Since then, other notable Minnesota Republicans have proven to be upstanders by speaking out against the marriage amendment, including former gubernatorial candidate Wheelock Whitney and Susan Kimberly, former deputy mayor of St. Paul with Mayor Norm Coleman.
This demonstrates that marriage equality is not simply a partisan issue. It is exactly what was expressed thirty years ago in Baker v. Nelson—marriage is a fundamental human right.
World Without Genocide, an organization committed to protecting innocent people from being targeted based solely on who they are, stands on the side of marriage equality. Between now and November 12, we encourage you–lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or straight — to be upstanders and to participate in a statewide dialogue on marriage equality. We must stand up against the amendment and preserve this fundamental right of marriage for all by voting NO in November 2012.
