For those that say the amendment facing Minnesotans is about “protecting” marriage or kids, take two minutes to read this story from Alabama. It’s a heartbreaking reminder of why we’re fighting hard in Minnesota to defeat this mean-spirited amendment.

Cari Searcy and Kimberly McKeand have been together for 14 years. They decided to start a family many years ago and went the route of artificial insemination. Now that their son is 6 years old, and in the first grade, an Alabama appeals court says to Searcy: You cannot adopt this child because Alabama passed a constitution amendment defining marriage.

A supporter of Alabama’s law banning same-sex marriage, Republican state Sen. Gerald Allen of Tuscaloosa, said he believes this is the first time a court has upheld a 2006 constitutional amendment that declared marriage was between a man and a woman.

“This ruling solidifies the fact the institution of marriage includes a man and a woman raising the children,” Allen said.

People like Allen are so adamant in their beliefs that they would rather deny a 6-year old the opportunity to have two loving parents than acknowledge that our society is changing.

Please understand that this amendment in Minnesota does harm to real Minnesotans. If we vote NO and defeat it, nothing changes for those people like Allen: Marriage is already defined as one man and one woman in the state of Minnesota. But if it passes, life will change for committed same-sex couples. The above is just one example of how an amendment like this can be used against a portion of our society.

We’re better than that.