Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak on Monday pitched his city as a
wedding destination for gay and lesbian couples living in Wisconsin.
Rybak made stops in Milwaukee and Madison to unveil a new
advertising campaign aimed at attracting gay couples to Minnesota to
exchange vows.
A law allowing gay couples to marry took effect on August 1 in
Minnesota, making it only the second state in the Midwest to
recognize such unions, the other being Iowa.
With Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele standing by his side
at the Milwaukee LGBT Center, Rybak showed off a campaign poster that
said, “Hey Milwaukee! I want to Marry You in Minneapolis.”
“This has been a sumer of love in Minnesota,” Rybak
said, a reference to the more than 1,600 couples who have married
in the state. “People who come to Minnesota and get married will
be able to have all the federal benefits. There are 1,100 pieces of
federal law tied to marriage.”
However, a gay couple that takes Rybak up on his offer could be
breaking Wisconsin law. According to the Milwaukee-Wisconsin
Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin law makes it a crime for a resident
to enter into an out-of-state marriage prohibited in Wisconsin.
Violators face a fine of up to $10,000 and nine months in prison.
Last week, Rybak made the same pitch to Chicago couples, and he is
also expected to travel to Denver.