GLBT 2006 in Minnesota: Same-Sex Marriage Dominates

The past year has been a tumultuous 12 months on issues affecting the GLBT community and the religious right, and the animosity towards gays from the religious right sparked many controversies, some that influenced the 2008 election cycle. Here are a few highlights.

In January, a local pastor created an uproar when he blogged about openly gay actor Chad Allen staring in an evangelical film and the film's producers houses:

"One Web log, nossobrii.blogspot .com, written by Kevin T. Bauder, president of Central Baptist Seminary in Minneapolis, stated in a Jan. 13 entry: 'Granted, we must not overreact. And it would probably be an overreaction to firebomb these men’s houses. But what they have done is no mistake. It is a calculated strategy.'" (emphasis added) [New York Times, Feb. 2, 2006]

It eventually led to a great deal of explanation and backpeddling, especially after the film's producers contacted the FBI.

The "Marriage Amendment" garnered an incredible amount of controversy in early 2006 as two groups, Minnesota for Marriage (M4M) and Minnesota Citizens in Defense of Marriage (MCDM), rally social conservatives. Former State Sen. Michele Bachmann led the charge. MCDM targeted their "Gang of 12" state senators whom they see as deterrents to the passage of the amendment.

In March, then Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson's statements on the amendment are recorded at a pastor's conference. His comment that Minnesota Supreme Court Justices told him that same-sex marriage would be a non-issue for the court launched a judicial investigation, prompted Johnson to appologize, and led to an election loss in November as the two pro-amendment groups, M4M and MCDM, target his seat.

Also in March, the Republican Party of Minnesota issues a "marriage protection" CD ROM that collects data from users computers without explicitly letting users know. Around the same time, Senate Republicans introduced at least 7 marriage amendment bills. All are referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

A heated public debate over the amendment continued as Bachmann debated openly gay Senator Scott Dibble on MPR, Star Tribune columnist Katherine Kersten gets charged with bigotry in the letters to the editor pages, and both sides rally at the Capitol in St. Paul.

In early April, Dean Johnson and the DFL members of the Senate Judiciary Committee vote no to sending the marriage amendment to a floor vote effectively ending its chances of passing. That same day, Bachmann's stepsister comes out to the media as a lesbian. Several days later, DFL Sen. Chaudhary received a death threat from an amendment supporter written on an ad by MCDM.

M4M and MCDM are criticized for failing to register as lobbyists with the state. They register as lobbyists and then file a complaint against amendment opponents OutFront Minnesota who subsequently file as well.

Soulforce, a religious organization committed to ending spiritual violence against GLBT people came to Minneapolis as part of its "Equality Riders" campaign. They are joined by George Takei, Star Trek's Mr. Sulu to confront North Central University in downtown Minneapolis on its anti-gay policies.

In May, the lead proponent of the marriage amendment, Michele Bachmann, is endorsed by the Minnesota GOP for the US House for District 6. She pulls in Karl Rove, Vice President Dick Cheney (has a lesbian daughter, by the way), President Bush, First Lady Laura Bush, and others for fundraisers.

Paradoxically, Governor Tim Pawlenty is charged with promoting the homosexual agenda in June by EdWatch, a socially conservative education group: "Under Governor Pawlenty's supervision, his administration is actively promoting the indoctrination of students into a homosexual worldview and value system." The Pawlenty administration did not comment on the allegations.

Also in June, the DFL added opposition to any constitutional amendments opposing same-sex couples to their party platform.

As the midterm election campaigning took off, same-sex marriage took a back seat among major party candidates with the exception of DFL candidates Keith Ellison (MN 5) and Tim Walz (MN 1) who both speak out for GLBT equality, and both win in November. Walz said: "And the best thing that ever happened to me was to get married and I don’t see a reason to deny that to anyone. So I'm pretty consistent on that, of where government should not be in our lives" (Tim Walz Interview on "Lambert and Janacek," KTLK-FM, July 27, 2006). Michele Bachmann was relatively silent on her signature issue for most of the campaign.

In August, Soulforce staged a sit-in at the Army National Guard recruiting station in Roseville to protest the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Four people were arrested.

During primary season, one candidate for governor came out in strong support for GLBT equality. DFL Primary Candidate Becky Lourey advocated full marriage equality and her supporters launched a website dedicated to her views on the issue. Additionally, all DFL candidates for Minnesota 5th District court GLBT voters, though Keith Ellison earned the endorsements of virtually every gay and lesbian elected official in the district, and later won the primary and the district.

Unfortunately, the driving force for the marriage amendment, Michele Bachmann, won a seat in Washington. The good news is that the 2006 elections in Minnesota resulted in the most GLBT supportive legislature in years, and probably the most supportive ever.Minnesota also sent three new GLBT supportive candidates to Washington: Senator Amy Klobuchar, and Reps. Keith Ellison and Tim Walz.