FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 13, 2013
Contact: Elizabeth Ray or Jen Campbell (703-683-5004)
"Make no mistake, this vote will bring the demise of the DFL majority and end the careers of wayward Republicans in the Legislature once voters have their say." — Brian Brown, NOM president —
Washington, D.C. — The National Organization for Marriage today condemned the Minnesota Legislature for redefining marriage and predicted that the vote will lead to the DFL losing their majority in the 2014 election.
"Just six months ago advocates of redefining marriage said that there was no need for the marriage amendment because Minnesota already had a traditional marriage law on the books. Now, they’ve changed that law and imposed genderless marriage,” said Brian Brown, NOM’s president. “Make no mistake, this vote will bring the demise of the DFL majority and end the
careers of wayward Republicans in the Legislature once voters have their say."
In November 2012, the state narrowly rejected a proposed constitutional amendment to preserve marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Opponents of the amendment argued, among other things, that it was not needed since the state already defined marriage as the union of a man and a woman. Because of their financial advantages (outspending supporters of the amendment by nearly $7 million) they won a narrow victory.
"The people of Minnesota did not vote for gay marriage in 2012,” said Brown. “They voted to maintain traditional marriage by maintaining the status quo. Our opponents bought a victory by claiming that marriage was not under threat of redefinition, but in fact they always intended to redefine it at the soonest possible moment. Legislators who voted to redefine marriage were foolish to do so. They cast a terrible vote that damages society, tells children they don’t deserve a mother and a father, and brands supporters of traditional marriage as bigots. We predict that this vote will be career ending for many legislators in Minnesota."
NOM was the largest funder of the marriage amendment campaign in 2012.
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To schedule an interview with Brian Brown, President of the National Organization for Marriage, please contact Elizabeth Ray (x130), eray@crcpublicrelations.com, or Jennifer Campbell jcampbell@crcpublicrelations.com, at 703-683-5004.
Paid for by The National Organization for Marriage, Brian Brown, president. 2029 K Street NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20006, not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. New § 68A.405(1)(f) & (h).
"Rep. Denny McNamara, R-Hastings, whose district saw 53 percent of voters reject the constitutional amendment, hasn't changed his mind: He'll vote "no" on Thursday.
The Minnesota House will hold a final floor vote on whether to legalize same-sex marriage Thursday.
Doug Kern, deputy chair of the Crow Wing County Republican Party, said Monday he is starting a recall petition against Rep. Joe Radinovich, DFL-Crosby, in the wake of the lawmaker’s announcement that he will support gay marriage legislation.
"...a look at SF925 reveals that something much more insidious than advocates let on is underway. This bill would strip the words “mother” and “father” of meaning under Minnesota law. Henceforth, the bill states, these words — among the most beloved and culturally freighted in the English language — “must be construed in a neutral manner to refer to a person of either gender.”
And yet, the same gay marriage activists who also condemned efforts to protect marriage as a "distraction" from the other pressing business of the legislature, are now themselves pushing gay marriage:
"We are committing a half a million dollars to the effort to support Democrats who support traditional marriage and to oppose Republicans who betray principle and their constituents," Brown said on MPR's Policast on Tuesday.
