One Day United

Today, May 20^th, is termed “One Day United” by Minnesotans United for All Families. There were over 200 host parties held across the state today in order to spread the word to “Vote No” on the Marriage Amendment. After my senior recognition at my church this morning, I rushed off to the end of one of these parties. When I arrived, a woman from Minnesotans United for All Families was speaking. She addressed the core beliefs and goals of the coalition and answered questions from the attendees. First of all, she explained how the vote will work. On November 6^th, you will see a question printed on the ballot that reads:

“Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to provide that only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in Minnesota?”

Voting NO means that you DO NOT support the amendment to the Minnesota Constitution that defines marriage as ONLY between one man and one woman. If you are for marriage equality, vote NO.

Voting YES means that you DO support the amendment to the Minnesota Constitution that defines marriage as ONLY between one man and one woman.

Note: Same-sex marriage is already prohibited under Minnesota law. The referendum is to decide whether or not to include this in the Minnesota Constitution.

Next, I learned more about Minnesotans United for All Families. It is a coalition that includes many people from varied religious, political, and ethnic backgrounds.  The core belief of this coalition is that “marriage and family are about love and commitment” (1). They believe that everyone should be allowed to marry whom they love and that same-sex couples should receive the same rights and benefits as heterosexual couples.

Lastly, the speaker urged everyone to “have the conversation.” People are swayed the most on their beliefs about this issue after having spoken with someone about why marriage equality is important to them. So, although it is can be difficult or awkward, start talking to people about marriage equality. For conversation starters, check out Minnesotans United for All Families here.

Thanks so much for reading! Feel free to leave a comment or question and I would be happy to respond.

Kari

(1)    http://mnunited.org/about/