A video released by gay marriage
supporters uses the words of Minnesota lawmakers in urging against an
amendment that seeks to ban gay marriage in the state.
The
House was set to vote on the controversial measure on Thursday after
a House panel approved it the previous day, but no action was
taken.
A
companion Senate measure has already cleared that chamber. A
vote in the House is the only remaining hurdle needed for it to be on
next year's ballot. But the chamber must act before Monday, the last
day of the legislative session. Minnesota law already bans gay and
lesbian couples from marrying, but supporters of the amendment say
the law remains vulnerable to legal challenges without the
constitutional alteration.
Opponents of the measure outnumbered
supporters outside the Statehouse on Thursday, but both sides were
making their voices heard.
Soundbites from the debate going on
inside the Statehouse were released in a video ad on Thursday by gay
rights group OutFront Minnesota.
The 2-minute-50-second video begins
with openly gay Minnesota state Senator Scott Dibble saying, “This
amendment is going to created a climate of hostility. It's going to
create conjecture, and fear, and divide Minnesotans during this
critical time in our economy when we need to be pulling people
together.”
Senate
testimony from 24-year-old Madeline Koch: “You'd think as a
Republican, I'd be on the other side of this issue. But I'm here
today because I don't believe that equal rights for same-sex couples
or anyone is a partisan issue.”
And
Representative Steve Simon telling a House committee that being gay
is a gift from God: “How many more gay people does God have to
create before we ask ourselves whether or not God actually wants them
around?” (The video is embedded in the right panel of this page.)