Marriage equality bill introduced in Minnesota legislature

Can one citizen make a difference at the legislature? Doug Benson might be the guy. He's spent the past two years protesting at the Minnesota Capitol with large banners reminding legislators that a group of Minnesotans doesn't have equality under the law. And Benson hasn't just protested; he's drafted his first piece of legislation, which was finally introduced on Friday.

The Marriage and Family Protection Act was introduced by Rep. Phyllis Kahn, DFL-Minneapolis, and Sen. John Marty, DFL-Roseville, on Friday. The bill would make marriage a gender-neutral proposition in Minnesota, allowing same-sex couples to marry. It would also protect religious institutions that have moral objections to same-sex marriage from being compelled to perform such ceremonies.

"I'm 54 years old, and I'm sick of waiting," said Benson, who has been with his partner, Duane , for almost 20 years.

Benson moved beyond protesting and took action: He drafted a bill, identified chief authors and cosponsors, took the bill to the revisor and had it submitted for reading. Currently, the bill has 14 sponsors in the House and five in the Senate, the maximum allowed.

"There are a lot of legislators here who support marriage equality," says Benson. "Some who are in unsafe districts are even willing to lose office in order to see marriage equality become reality in Minnesota. They have told me this. They're an inspiration."

The bill has no chance of passing, but that's not the point. It's meant to be a conversation starter and signal a turning point for a community that has been on the defensive for so many years. The discussion will change from protecting marriage for a privileged few to granting those rights and responsibilities to couples who are just as deserving. This bill is a step in that direction. "Many of the 19 legislators who signed on to this bill did so without even batting an eye," notes Benson. "It just blows me away."

The bill is modeled after a similar bill that has passed the California Legislature twice, only to be vetoed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Schwarzenegger said that the issue was for the courts to decide -- and they did. The California Supreme Court ruled in support of same-sex marriage on Thursday, the day before Benson's bill was introduced. The timing is merely coincidental.

Marty and Kahn, the two legislators carrying the bill, say they believe in the importance of the bill -- even though it is being introduced late in the session and has no chance of passage this session -- as a turning point and a bold step toward marriage equality in Minnesota.

"The legislators and their staff were patient and generous in informing me, even though I had basic knowledge of the process, of the details in getting a bill to the floor," Benson observes. "Certain lobbyists that I have come to know through protesting at the Capitol were also helpful."

Because the bill has been submitted at the end of the biennium, it will need to be reintroduced again next year to be considered.