Recognition of same-sex unions in Minnesota
Encyclopedia
Minnesota
has legalized neither same-sex marriages
nor civil unions
. Same-sex marriage is banned by statute, passed by the legislature in 1997 shortly after passage of the federal Defense of Marriage Act
.
A May 2011 Public Policy Polling
survey found that 72% of Minnesota voters supported legal recognition for same-sex couples.
was the first case in United States history in which a same-sex couple sued over marriage rights. The Minnesota Supreme Court
ruled that Minnesota Statutes prohibited marriages between same-sex partners.
, DFL
-Roseville, planned to introduce a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in 2009. On February 19, 2009 a bill to allow civil unions in Minnesota was introduced in the Minnesota House of Representatives
. The bill is sponsored by Reps. Joe Mullery
, Mindy Greiling
and Tom Tillberry
. On March 5, 2009 a bill to allow same-sex marriage in Minnesota was introduced in the Minnesota Senate
. The authors of the bill are Senators Scott Dibble
, Ellen Anderson
, Mee Moua
, Sandy Pappas and Richard Cohen
. The bill failed to get a hearing by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
, which was passed in 1997. The trial court dismissed the suit in March 2011, citing Baker v. Nelson as "binding precedent." Marry Me Minnesota, founded by same-sex couples for the purpose of suing the state, announced plans to appeal the decision.
to restrict marriage to unions between a man and a woman and to outlaw civil unions that offer comparable rights. None of these bills passed. Such an amendment requires approved by the voters.
On May 11, 2011, the Minnesota Senate passed a state amendment banning same-sex marriage and an identical bill was passed by the House on May 21; the amendent will be on the ballot in 2012. The bill does not affect civil unions or domestic partnerships.
A May 2011 Public Policy Polling
survey found that 46% of Minnesota voters agreed that the Minnesota Constitution should be "amended to provide that only a union of one
man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in Minnesota," while 47% disagreed and 7% were not sure.
survey found that 46% of Minnesota voters supported the legalization of same-sex marriage, while 45% opposed it and 9% were not sure. A separate question in the same survey found that, with the option of civil unions but not marriage, 72% of Minnesota voters supported legal recognition for same-sex couples, with 38% supporting same-sex marriage, 34% supporting civil unions, 26% opposing any legal recognition, and 2% not sure.
and St. Paul commenced their registries in 2009, and in 2010 Rochester, Maplewood, and Golden Valley enacted registries. St. Louis Park, Red Wing
and Richfield followed in 2011.
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
has legalized neither same-sex marriages
Same-sex marriage in the United States
The federal government does not recognize same-sex marriage in the United States, but such marriages are recognized by some individual states. The lack of federal recognition was codified in 1996 by the Defense of Marriage Act, before Massachusetts became the first state to grant marriage licenses...
nor civil unions
Civil union in the United States
A civil union is a legally recognized union similar to marriage. Many people are critical of civil unions because they say they represent separate status unequal to marriage...
. Same-sex marriage is banned by statute, passed by the legislature in 1997 shortly after passage of the federal Defense of Marriage Act
Defense of Marriage Act
The Defense of Marriage Act is a United States federal law whereby the federal government defines marriage as a legal union between one man and one woman. Under the law, no U.S. state may be required to recognize as a marriage a same-sex relationship considered a marriage in another state...
.
A May 2011 Public Policy Polling
Public Policy Polling
Public Policy Polling is an American Democratic Party-affiliated polling firm based in Raleigh, North Carolina. PPP was founded in 2001 by businessman and Democratic pollster Dean Debnam, the firm's current president and chief executive officer...
survey found that 72% of Minnesota voters supported legal recognition for same-sex couples.
Baker v. Nelson
In 1972 Baker v. NelsonBaker v. Nelson
Richard John Baker v. Gerald R. Nelson was a case in which the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that Minnesota law limited marriage to different-sex couples and that this limitation did not violate the United States Constitution...
was the first case in United States history in which a same-sex couple sued over marriage rights. The Minnesota Supreme Court
Minnesota Supreme Court
The Minnesota Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Minnesota and consists of seven members. The court was first assembled as a three-judge panel in 1849 when Minnesota was still a territory. The first members were lawyers from outside of the region who were appointed by...
ruled that Minnesota Statutes prohibited marriages between same-sex partners.
2009 legislative efforts
State Senator John MartyJohn Marty
This is the article about the State Senator from Minnesota. For the singer known as John Marty, see Marty StuartJohn J. Marty is a member of the Minnesota Senate, representing District 54, which includes portions of Hennepin and Ramsey counties in the northern Twin Cities metropolitan area. As a...
, DFL
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party is a major political party in the state of Minnesota and the state affiliate of the Democratic Party. It was created on April 15, 1944, with the merger of the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Farmer–Labor Party...
-Roseville, planned to introduce a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in 2009. On February 19, 2009 a bill to allow civil unions in Minnesota was introduced in the Minnesota House of Representatives
Minnesota House of Representatives
The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house in the Minnesota State Legislature. There are 134 members elected to two-year terms, twice the number of members in the Minnesota Senate. Each senate district is divided in half and given the suffix A or B...
. The bill is sponsored by Reps. Joe Mullery
Joe Mullery
Joseph J. "Joe" Mullery is a Minnesota politician and a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives representing District 58A, which includes portions of the city of Minneapolis in Hennepin County, which is part of the Twin Cities metropolitan area...
, Mindy Greiling
Mindy Greiling
Mindy Greiling is a Minnesota politician and a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives who represents District 54A, which includes all or portions of Roseville, St. Anthony, and Lauderdale in Ramsey County, which is in the Twin Cities metropolitan area...
and Tom Tillberry
Tom Tillberry
Thomas "Tom" Tillberry is a Minnesota politician and a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives representing District 51B, which includes portions of Anoka and Ramsey counties in the northern part of the Twin Cities metropolitan area...
. On March 5, 2009 a bill to allow same-sex marriage in Minnesota was introduced in the Minnesota Senate
Minnesota Senate
The Minnesota Senate is the upper house in the Minnesota Legislature. There are 67 members, half as many as are in the Minnesota House of Representatives. In terms of membership, it is the largest upper house of any state legislature. Each Senate district in the state includes an A and B House...
. The authors of the bill are Senators Scott Dibble
Scott Dibble
Scott Dibble is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician and record producer.He was the leader of the band Scott Dibble and Watertown in the early 1990s...
, Ellen Anderson
Ellen Anderson
Ellen Anderson is a Minnesota politician and a former member of the Minnesota Senate who represented District 66, which includes the northern portion of the city of Saint Paul, as well as the entire city of Falcon Heights in Ramsey County, which is in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. A Democrat,...
, Mee Moua
Mee Moua
Mee Moua , is a Hmong American politician and a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. She represented District 67 in the Minnesota Senate, which includes portions of the city of Saint Paul in Ramsey County, which is in the Twin Cities metropolitan area...
, Sandy Pappas and Richard Cohen
Richard Cohen
Richard Cohen may refer to:*Richard Cohen , syndicated columnist for the Washington Post*Richard Cohen , a British Olympic fencer and author of Chasing the Sun*Richard A. Cohen, advocate of conversion therapy...
. The bill failed to get a hearing by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Lawsuit
In May 2010, Marry Me Minnesota, a gay rights organization, sued the state of Minnesota, challenging the state's Defense of Marriage ActDefense of Marriage Act
The Defense of Marriage Act is a United States federal law whereby the federal government defines marriage as a legal union between one man and one woman. Under the law, no U.S. state may be required to recognize as a marriage a same-sex relationship considered a marriage in another state...
, which was passed in 1997. The trial court dismissed the suit in March 2011, citing Baker v. Nelson as "binding precedent." Marry Me Minnesota, founded by same-sex couples for the purpose of suing the state, announced plans to appeal the decision.
Constitutional amendments
In 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2009, bills were introduced into the Minnesota House and Senate to amend the Minnesota ConstitutionMinnesota Constitution
The Constitution of the State of Minnesota, USA was initially approved by the residents of Minnesota Territory in a special election held on October 13, 1857, and was ratified by the United States Senate on May 11, 1858, marking the admittance of Minnesota to the Union...
to restrict marriage to unions between a man and a woman and to outlaw civil unions that offer comparable rights. None of these bills passed. Such an amendment requires approved by the voters.
On May 11, 2011, the Minnesota Senate passed a state amendment banning same-sex marriage and an identical bill was passed by the House on May 21; the amendent will be on the ballot in 2012. The bill does not affect civil unions or domestic partnerships.
A May 2011 Public Policy Polling
Public Policy Polling
Public Policy Polling is an American Democratic Party-affiliated polling firm based in Raleigh, North Carolina. PPP was founded in 2001 by businessman and Democratic pollster Dean Debnam, the firm's current president and chief executive officer...
survey found that 46% of Minnesota voters agreed that the Minnesota Constitution should be "amended to provide that only a union of one
man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in Minnesota," while 47% disagreed and 7% were not sure.
Public opinion
A May 2011 Public Policy PollingPublic Policy Polling
Public Policy Polling is an American Democratic Party-affiliated polling firm based in Raleigh, North Carolina. PPP was founded in 2001 by businessman and Democratic pollster Dean Debnam, the firm's current president and chief executive officer...
survey found that 46% of Minnesota voters supported the legalization of same-sex marriage, while 45% opposed it and 9% were not sure. A separate question in the same survey found that, with the option of civil unions but not marriage, 72% of Minnesota voters supported legal recognition for same-sex couples, with 38% supporting same-sex marriage, 34% supporting civil unions, 26% opposing any legal recognition, and 2% not sure.
Domestic Partner Registry
Nine cities in Minnesota have domestic partner registries allowing unmarried homosexual and heterosexual couples the right to obtain a certificate signifying that they are not related by blood and are committed to each other, covering a total population of more than one million. Minneapolis was the first city to do this in 1991 while DuluthDuluth
Duluth may refer to:*Duluth, Minnesota*Duluth, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta*Duluth , an album by Trampled by Turtles*Duluth , by Gore Vidal...
and St. Paul commenced their registries in 2009, and in 2010 Rochester, Maplewood, and Golden Valley enacted registries. St. Louis Park, Red Wing
Red Wing, Minnesota
Red Wing is a city in Goodhue County, Minnesota, United States, on the Mississippi River. The population was 16,459 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Goodhue County....
and Richfield followed in 2011.