Former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura
is speaking out against the state's proposed gay marriage ban, saying
it's a civil rights issue.
Voters in November will decide whether
to place the state's law which bans gay nuptials in the Minnesota
Constitution.
In an interview with the Post
Bulletin, Ventura and former first lady Terry Ventura pledged
to work to defeat passage of the amendment.
“I certainly hope that people don't
amend our constitution to stop gay marriage because, number one, the
constitution is there to protect people – not oppress them,”
Ventura, an independent, said.
The professional
wrestler-turned-politician explained that the issue was personal to
him, saying he knew of a gay wrestler who was denied access to his
partner's hospital bedside after 20 years of partnership.
“And because they are not allowed to
be married, he's neither [a spouse or next of kin]. That's cruel,”
he said.
Civil rights, Ventura, 60, said, should
not be subject to a popular vote.
“If you did that, we would still have
slavery because the majority isn't going to think about the minority.
You have to have politicians with courage, who will stand up and say
this is a civil rights issue, and where do we get off that the
government should decide who you should fall in love with and marry?”