By Jordee Kalk
Murphy News Service
Much has happened since Minnesota passed a bill last May that made legal marriages for same-sex couples.
Many “I dos” have been exchanged between GLBT couples across the state since Aug. 1, 2013, when the constitutional marriage amendment took effect after being signed into law by Gov. Mark Dayton on May 14, 2013.
OutFront Minnesota was one of several groups spearheading the push for marriage equality. The statewide organization states its mission is “to create a state where lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people are free to be who they are, love who they love, and live without fear of violence, harassment or discrimination.”
Monica Meyer, executive director of the group, said the effects of the marriage bill were immediately evident.
“What was so interesting about the marriage bill is that Aug. 1 came around and it instantly changed peoples lives,” Meyer said.
She said it was a long process for OutFront and others to get the bill passed, including rallying opposition in 2011 to contest a state constitutional amendment that sought to do just the opposite – ban same sex marriages.
“By May 2013 people were crying because they were so happy,” Meyer said. “It was incredible. Just beautiful.”
Couples lined up outside courthouses throughout Minnesota on that first day of August to be married. And same-sex couples who had already taken vows in states outside of Minnesota had a chance to have their marriages recognized in the state.
“It (the bill) is really doing what marriage does: bringing families together,” Meyer said. “Throughout the years, (same sex) people in crisis were not able to see his or her partner in the hospital.”
When the marriage law went into effect this changed. Partners are now able to see their hospitalized spouses.
OutFront Minnesota continues to work for equal rights, Meyer said. The group still has an active team of lobbyists, a 24-hour crisis line, training programs and an anti-violence program.
“We just want to make sure they can have the support they need to be fully engaged in their community,” Meyer said. “We’ve only just begun.”
Jordee Kalk is studying journalism at the University of Minnesota.