About 4:15 this afternoon, the Minnesota Senate passed a marriage-equality bill by a vote of 37-30. Governor Mark Dayton is expected to sign the bill into law tomorrow, and marriages will commence on August 1st, making the North Star State the twelfth in the nation, plus the District of Columbia, to authorize same-sex marriages.
Update, 5/15: Yesterday, Governor Dayton signed the bill on the steps of the state capitol in front of a cheering crowd:
The City of Minneapolis announced that City Hall will open at 12:01 a.m. on August 1st in order to marry all the gay couples who want to be the first to get hitched in that town. And the city also released this gorgeous photo of the I-35 bridge all lit up like a rainbow last night:
Way cool, and a breathtaking moment in history to your Head Trucker, who remembers when gay meant nothing but merry, and homosexual was not a word nice people used in public, and only whispered in private.
It's worth noting that in Minneapolis on May 18, 1970, Jack Baker and Michael McConnell were the first gay men ever (so far as I know) to apply for a marriage license in the United States. They were turned down by the county clerk, which led them to take a lawsuit all the way to the Supreme Court - which, unfortunately, dismissed the case "for want of a substantial federal question." In other words - "Equal rights under the Constitution? You have no rights, faggots." What a difference 42 years makes, huh? Just amazing.
Your Head Trucker remembers reading the shocking story in Life magazine way back then. BTW, Jack and Mike are still together after all these years, retired now and living in Minneapolis.
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| Updated marriage map from HRC. Click to enlarge. Yellow = same-sex marriage; blue = broad civil unions; green = limited domestic partnerships. |
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