Politics

• May 16, 2008 6:14 pm US/Central
• Digg | Facebook | E-mail

  Close WindowE-mail This Page

  Same Sex Marriage Debate Heating Up In Minnesota

  Required fields are marked with an asterisk(*)

  ---

  • Recipient E-mail:* 
  • • Your Name:* 
    • Your E-mail:* 
  • Add a Message:
  •   Send me a copy of this e-mail.

  • Type the characters in this picture:* Click here to refresh with new letters

  ---

  The information you provide will be used only to send the requested e-mail and will not be used to send any other e-mail communications. Read more in our Privacy Policy

  Send E-mail

  | Print

Same Sex Marriage Debate Heating Up In Minnesota

(WCCO) For more than 30 years, All God's Children Church has been performing same sex wedding ceremonies in South Minneapolis, though never legally recognized. The congregation has hope that will change soon, with two states about to allow same sex marriages.

"I really feel like I have been a part of history, and this moment makes all of us a part of history. I'm so excited to see where this goes," said Reverend Robyn Provis of All God's Children Metropolitan Community Church.

Deb Leavitt and Anne Phibbs have been together for almost 25 years. hey went to Vermont to get a civil union, also not recognized here. For them, marriage means legal equality they never thought possible.

"I'm very excited about it, because it means to me safety and security for when I get older that we can have each other's social security. We won't be challenged when we go into a hospital if one of us is sick," said Leavitt.

Her partner is encouraged by more people outside the Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender (GLBT) community supporting gay marriage.

"It says to me a lot of people not in the GLBT community are out there realizing it's an issue of treating people fairly, and they want to be a part of that," said Phibbs.

Still, that type of legal protection is a long way off for gay Minnesotans. States have instituted what are called public policy exceptions, so they don't have to recognize contracts in other states.

"Most states have clarified at this point that same sex marriage violates their public policy," said University of Minnesota Law Professor Jill Hasday.

These are the same types of exceptions used in the past to ban interracial marriage. These exceptions haven't been challenged in the higher courts.

"It's unclear wheter states have a right to refuse to recognize same sex marriages," said Hasday.

That issue will come to the forefront as more gay couples head west for legal rights they want recognized at home.

Right now 26 states have statutes banning same sex marriage, including Minnesota.

It could take years for legal battles involving state laws and gay marriage to make it to the Supreme Court.

(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)