Bishop Herbert Chilstrom Votes NO
If you haven’t seen the latest 30-second ad from Minnesotans United, check it out now.
The commercial features Lutheran Bishop, Herbert Chilstrom, and his wife, Minister Corinne Chilstrom. Together, they share why they are voting no on the mean-spirited marriage amendment.
Herbert: When I was elected Bishop, gay couples started wanting marriage, and I said, I would rather not deal with that.
Corinne: And then we were invited to this meeting and we came into the living room and here were about 25 gay men. We just asked them, ‘What do you want from the church?’ They said, ‘We just want to be accepted like everyone else.’
Herbert: These brothers and sisters in Christ deserve my full support. That’s why we’re voting no.
Please share this video (Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) as a reminder that many Christians are on our side and voting NO to discrimination.
Equality and rights
Watch this powerful 60-second clip now.
Even though this video was created in Ireland, the consequences are the same here in Minnesota. If this marriage amendment passes, there will be far-reaching impacts to loving and committed gay and lesbian couples and their families.
Please take a minute to think about the impact your vote can have. There is so much at stake in this election. Please vote NO this NOvember 6th.
Nordstrom: Another major retailer supports marriage equality
For those of you that missed it this past week, Nordstrom adds their name to the growing list of businesses that have spoken out in favor of marriage equality:
With respect to our gay and lesbian employees, Nordstrom was an early adopter of adding sexual orientation to our anti-discrimination policy, which means we guarantee the same legal rights and protections in our workplace to gay and lesbian employees just as we do for other employees regardless of sex, race, color, creed, national origin, religion, age, marital status, pregnancy, physical, mental or sensory disability, and gender identity.
…
We feel the next step in this journey is to now support freedom to marry, also called marriage equality. There is a lot of awareness of this issue across the country and we’ve heard from many employees and customers. We gave this thoughtful consideration and felt the time was right to come out in support of this civil rights issue. It is our belief that our gay and lesbian employees are entitled to the same rights and protections marriage provides under the law as our other employees.
…
Blake Nordstrom, President, Nordstrom, Inc
Pete Nordstrom, President of Merchandising, Nordstrom
Erik Nordstrom, President of Stores, Nordstrom
To read the complete letter and to see GLAAD’s coverage, check out GLAAD’s blog.
Nordstrom joins the likes of Starbucks, Google, Amazon.com, Microsoft, T-Mobile, REI, Nike and many other Washington businesses that support marriage equality.
NAACP head ‘denounces amendment’
NAACP president Ben Jealous spoke out against the marriage amendment during his visit to the U of M today:
There is a very active effort in this state to split the progressive coalition on this issue and to split the black community itself… The National Organization for Marriage is investing dollars in splitting our community in a way that is reprehensible and designed to do grave harm on a wide range of issues.
In August, I posted about the National Organization for Marriage’s attempts to “drive a wedge between gays and blacks.”
I agree with Mr. Jealous, NOM continues to do things that are simply reprehensible. I posted about some more of their deceptive practices just this morning.
Same-sex marriage opponents receive 2 million influx
In case you missed it last week, same-sex marriage opponents announced a significant influx of dollars to their campaign to the tune of 2 million dollars. The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) sent out an email about a donation match offer from an “anonymous donor” (of course the donor is anonymous;NOM never seems to have to disclose where their money comes from). For every dollar donated to NOM, the anonymous donor will add two more dollars to match. The total haul? 3 million dollars to ensuring same-sex couples are treated unequally by the law.
Here are some excerpts from the e-mail NOM sent out to their supporters:
What would you do to raise $3 million to protect marriage from Barack Obama and his wealthy homosexual lobbyists?
A couple paragraphs later, they take another stab at Obama, call out their success in passing Prop 8 in California and let supporters know they’re working hard in Minnesota:
The National Organization for Marriage is the most effective pro-marriage organization in America fighting Obama’s attempts to re-define marriage. NOM also led the fight to defend every successful pro-marriage campaign since Prop. 8 in California, and we’ve been on the front lines in Minnesota, North Carolina, Iowa, Maryland, and states across the nation.
As always, NOM continues to deceive claiming that same-sex equality is supported by “billionaire gay marriage activists:”
This new $2 million matching grant challenge will help us compete even more effectively with Obama’s billionaire gay marriage activists and wealthy Hollywood celebrities who are determined to impose homosexual marriage as the law of the land.
The reality is that Minnesotans United for All Families raised $2.56 million dollars between July 24 and September 18. That money came from over25,000 individual donors! And 98% of those donors were from Minnesota! (source) But facts don’t seem to matter to the other side. Anything they can do to rally their troops, even if it means telling outright lies, they’ll do it.
I’m so tired of this outside organization pouring dollars into this state in an attempt to influence Minnesotans. It would be one thing if they were at least honest in their attempts, but again and again, they mislead voters and refuse to play by the same rules as everyone else. It’s time we call them on their shenanigans.
Here’s my simple message to NOM: Get out of my state. Take your lies and dollars elsewhere. Let real Minnesotans have this conversation with each other.
To help counter NOM’s fundraising, please consider making a small donation to Minnesotans United for All Families through my personal fundraising page.
Kluwe attacked, labeled “worse than a pedophile”
Chris Kluwe, punter for the Minnesota Vikings, is no stranger to this blog. I’ve shared time, time, time and time again how he continues to be an advocate for equality, speaking out in opposition to the mean-spirited marriage amendment.
Late last week, Think Progress shared a cartoon that Kluwe received in the mail. The person who mailed the image to Kluwe inserted his name into the cartoon, depicting him worse than a pedophile on the behavioral spectrum.
According to Kluwe:
It arrived in the mail along with photocopied articles demeaning gays as “serial killers” and “pedophiles.” Doing some research, it appears the original cartoon came out in 1999 and this group (American News Center) has been mailing it out for multiple years now. No actual writing, no name, just lazy copy-pasted hate.
Hate, nothing less. And for what reason? Because Kluwe believes that same-sex partners should have the right to celebrate their love and benefit in the rights provided by the government through marriage.
This is what we’re fighting, Minnesota. If you haven’t seen the cartoon yet, head on over to Think Progress.
Love looks the same: The story of Kyle and Tommy
Earlier this month, I blogged about a viral video I found online where a man proposes to his long-time boyfriend. At the time, this is what I had to say:
In case anyone ever asks why we’re fighting so hard for equality… Take a couple minutes to watch this YouTube video. You’ll quickly see that while it may be two men, love looks the same.
Today, I was reading the couple’s backstory on The Advocate, and it’s a great one:
On April 28, I proposed to my boyfriend, Tommy, in front of 700 people at his former college a cappella group’s spring concert, which marked the 20th anniversary of the group.
The overwhelming amount of love and support we received that night, from friends, strangers, male, female, young, old, gay, straight, was just incredible to experience. That night, it didn’t matter what beliefs people held, everyone could see that love is love and that it knows no bounds.
The couple will be getting married on October 12, 2013 in honor of Matthew Shepard’s life and the legacy his parents have created with the Matthew Shepard Foundation. You can read more about their story, including an inspirational message from Kyle himself, on The Advocate.
If Gay Marriage, Why Not Polygamy?
Recently, I exchanged multiple emails with an amendment supporter. She challenged me that if we allow gay marriage, we open the door to all sorts of different kinds of marriages. I shared with her my “Note to Jessie” where I debunk several of the scare tactics the other side uses to say that this change to “traditional” marriage opens up Pandora’s box.
However, she was still not satisfied. So, I took to Google. In my research, I found a rather enjoyable 2-minute YouTube video from John Corvino. In the video, Corvino addresses the question:
And people say, ‘well if you make one change to marriage, why not make any other change?’ To which my answer is, ‘because each of these things needs to be evaluated on its own merits.’
Whether it’s a good idea to allow people to marry one unrelated person of the same sex is a different question from whether it’s a good idea to allow them to marry multiple partners, or their relatives or their pets, or their kitchen appliances or whatever.
Of course, if you marry your kitchen appliances, what are people going to get you as a shower gift?
Corvino answers the question using humor, history and examples to explain the reasoning why this comparison doesn’t make sense.
While I doubt this video will satisfy the amendment supporter that has been emailing me, it did make me smile. Sometimes, you need to keep perspective when having these types of conversations. It’s too easy to get stuck arguing or frustrated with the other side. Every now and again, you just need a little bit of humor to get back up on your feet to fight the good fight!
Chris Kluwe blogs about gays
Gay people are not treated as American citizens. The amount of individuals who came up and thanked me and Brendon for taking a stand was staggering, and frankly depressing. I use the word depressing because for that many people to thank us for showing basic empathy, to thank us for recognizing that they are human beings just like everyone else, means that so many other people have not. What that says about our society makes me ill just to think about, and it means that we are failing the American dream. America is the land where people go to escape oppression, to escape persecution, to escape tyranny; sure we haven’t always gotten it right throughout the years but we should always strive for that elusive goal of equality. Right now we’re just not getting it done.
Chris Kluwe, Punter, Minnesota Vikings
Source: Out of Bounds blog
So I’ve got to admit: If you would have asked me who Chris Kluwe was a year ago, I would have said that I had no idea. But now, suddenly, he’s everywhere standing up for my equality and I can’t get enough of him.
Today, I learned that he pens a blog for the Pioneer Press titled, Out of Bounds. In his most recent post, he had the above to say about a Vote NO event he recently attended (along with a lot more good stuff).
I don’t know where this guy comes from, but WOW, can he write. I’m so thankful to have his voice in this campaign.
Gay Marriage in 2012 cartoon
Ha! It would be funny if it wasn’t true. Though, Republicans like Madeline Koch give me hope. There are many Minnesotans – on both sides of the aisle – that support equality and will vote NO in NOvember.
Love looks the same
In case anyone ever asks why we’re fighting so hard for equality… Take a couple minutes to watch this YouTube video. You’ll quickly see that while it may be two men, love looks the same.
Go ahead, take a couple minutes out of your day and watch now. I promise you, you won’t be disappointed.
Note: I know neither of the men in this video, yet I was in tears for several minutes. To those that are fighting so hard to pass a constitutional amendment in Minnesota to limit the rights of committed same-sex couples, I just don’t understand. Love should be celebrated. Why people would fight to limit it just baffles me.
It’s Time… Love is Love
Last year, I shared a 2-minute video that GetUp! Action for Australia put together. It’s a brilliant love-story that is told through the eyes of the man being filmed. Only at the end of the video is it revealed that the person on the other end of the camera is also a man. He kneels down and proposes to his husband-to-be. The message is quite simple: Love is love.
Earlier this month, another video was posted on YouTube inspired by that initial video. This time, it tells the story of life, love and loss using the same technique. The only difference this time is that the video features two women.
Both of these videos highlight the fact that love is love. Committed same-sex couples have the same ups, downs, happy days and sad as opposite-sex couples.
Thank you to both videos for telling this story so eloquently.
Minnesota for Marriage continues to mislead
Every week or so, Minnesota for Marriage posts a new “Marriage Minute Video” on their website and YouTube channel. I’ve spared you from those videos on this blog as many are simply infuriating. They are nothing more than propaganda designed to rally their base supporters.
With that said, I do believe it is important that each of us understands what messages the other side is sharing, especially if they just happen to conveniently leave out pieces of the story as they did in their video: “Canada Has Recognized Gay Marriage for Many Years. What Has Occurred There?”
In the video, Minnesota for Marriage claims that:
Bishop Frederick Henry of Calgary was investigated by the Alberta Human Rights Commission for doing little more than writing about the Catholic Church’s teaching on homosexuality in a newspaper column.
Can you just imagine the response from amendment supporters? Frustration, disgust, outrage… A Bishop was investigated for little more than writing about the Catholic Church’s teaching?
Well, it turns out that there’s a lot more to the story… In January of 2005, Henry wrote a letter to the Diocese of Calgary that was read to 250,000 Catholics. In the letter, he actually speaks very little about the Church’s position on same-sex marriage. Instead, he compares being gay to adultery, prostitution and even pornography. To top it off, he goes on to say that the government should use its “coercive power” to put a stop to same-sex marriage “in the interests of the common good.” (source)
According to Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance:
Many readers of Bishop Henry’s letter have assumed that he is suggesting that governments harass, fine, or assign jail sentences to persons engaging in same-sex behavior, even if performed in private as part of a loving committed relationship. Certainly, governments in other countries use this type of coercive force.
Oh, so that’s why he was investigated… Followers of Minnesota for Marriage don’t realize that, though. Instead, they listen to the misleading information provided and then spread that information to their family and friends. That’s the most concerning (and damaging) part: the spreading of misinformation.
But that’s how these elections are won and ballots passed. As infuriating as it is, we need to stay close to the other side and call out misleading or misinformation when it is shared. I guarantee you, there’s a lot more of it to come from amendment proponents.
Breaking News: Democratic Platform Committee votes unanimously to add marriage equality to Platform
Two weeks ago in Minneapolis, marriage equality language was drafted to be part of the Democrat Party Platform. Today, in Detroit, the national platform committee “voted unanimously… to add a plank endorsing gay marriage.”
Next month, the platform goes to the national convention in North Carolina where we can expect to learn more about all of the individual pieces of the platform.
Additional coverage: Washington Post
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Tweets
- Check out what a visitor to the site asked me to pass along to Father Mike Tegeder. RT if you agree. #minnesota #voteno
http://t.co/4iqhrFX211/09/2012 - #Minnesota nice? Yeah, we #voteno twice! Congratulations to to Minnesota for standing on the right side of history!11/07/2012
- #Minnesota #marriageamendment 78% reporting. #voteno at 50%; yes side has 49%. It's going to be a while before we call this one...11/07/2012
- #Minnesota #marriageamendment 47% reporting. Spread narrows. #voteno side still at 49%; yes side has increased their support to 47%.11/07/2012
- Check out what a visitor to the site asked me to pass along to Father Mike Tegeder. RT if you agree. #minnesota #voteno
