Opponents of gay marriage in Minnesota
are considering countering a push for marriage with civil unions or
reciprocal benefits.
The
Minnesota Post reported that some Republicans are
privately considering those options.
“I think there would be some people,
Republicans, interested in some alternatives,” said
Tom Prichard, executive director of the Minnesota Family Council,
which last year backed an unsuccessful attempt to amend the state
constitution to limit marriage to heterosexual unions.
Prichard said his group would oppose
legislation creating unions which are “marriage by another name.”
He sounded more receptive to reciprocal benefits.
“It would cover any two people who
cannot marry but who care for each other,” Prichard said.
An anonymous Republican advisor to
Minnesotans United for All Families dismissed talk of anything less
than marriage.
“Five or ten years ago, that would
have been extraordinarily welcome,” said the advisor. “The
genius of that kind of move would be to allow more moderate
Republicans and conservative Democrats to say we support it.”
Senator Scott Dibble and Rep. Karen
Clark, both Democrats, are expected to introduce marriage equality
bills as early as this week.