DFL Senate Candidates Tackle Gay Marriage at Debate

Friday's Almanac debate between DFL senate hopefuls Al Franken, Mike Ciresi, and Jim Cohen touched on the subject of rights for same-sex couples. The question was: do you support gay marriage?

Mike Ciresi: "I'm in favor of no discrimination in this country whatsoever. I am not in favor of imposing requirements on religious denominations."

Al Franken: "Yes!"

Jim Cohen: "There is no reason for any of the rights, privileges, benefits of any group on gender, sex, or any other basis to be different from any other. I am for the kind of result that occurred in Connecticut and several other states to make sure that civil unions with all of the benefits are exactly the same."

Ciresi was then asked to clarify his position on gay marriage providing an opportunity for all three to respond in depth.

Ciresi : "In terms of civil unions i am in favor of that. I am not, I do not favor any form of discrimination. We have fought against this our law firm has taken on many of these issues on a pro bono basis, but I am not in favor of imposing on religious denominations that they have to marry gay people. I just don't think that's right."

Franken: "Look I have been married for 32 years. I don't see gay marriage as a threat to my marriage. Now, I do understand that people have problems with it and that there are people like Jim and Mike who want to go the civil union route and I don't want to see division, especially the Right throwing division in this for no reason. What I think is a more important issue is employment, is ENDA [Employment Nondiscrimination Act]. Thirty-three states say it is legal to fire someone for being gay and I think that's a bigger issue."

Ciresi: "I was one of 13 heads of organizations, the other one in Minneapolis was General Mills, throughout the United States that signed a letter to Congress in support of ENDA, so we have been in full square, in favor of nondiscrimination in this country.

Cohen: "I think that gay marriage is something that is totally acceptable to me and I think it should be a state by state determination including Minnesota. Every state should have that privilege."

To watch the full debate, visit the TPT Almanac site.