Mar 6th, 2006
Demonized Queers as Pawns in Minnesota Politics
Hurrah for Laura Billings’ column for calling out the political homophobes on their mean-spirited and wasteful plot to further smear queers in the state of Minnesota.
The article is aptly named: “Marriage ban a frivolous plot” (Registration required.)
Billings points out that an amendment banning same-sex marriage in the state constitution is redundant, since Minnesota already passed the so-called Defense Of Marriage Act (DOMA) in 1997. The real motivation for the fabricated panic to “protect” marriage by having citizens vote on it is to increase conservative voter turn-out in November.
Billings makes her point using an anology based on the “Brokeback Mountain” hype:
Some 26.5 million evangelical voters cast ballots in that election, which is more than twice the 12 million who bought tickets to see “Brokeback Mountain.”
The current hand-wringing performance about same-sex marriage would be more believable if we didn’t have so many other issues that really do threaten many families’ values — education, health care, the environment, the economy.
Forcing a constitutional amendment over marriage into the first act of the legislative season can’t help but seem like the cynical product placement we see in so many Hollywood productions — a marketing ploy to guarantee serious box office come November.
What can Minnesotans do? Start by going to your caucuses tomorrow night, 7pm. For more details, visit the website of the party of your choice:
Democratic Party (651) 251-6300
Green Party (612) 871-4585
Independence Party (651) 487-9700
Republican Party (651) 222-0022
For additional information on fighting the amendment that writes discrimination into Minnesota’s constitution, see Together Minnesota.