May 25th, 2008
Straight couple crosses border to protest discrimination
A couple in Minneapolis explained their reasons for getting married in Canada in an op-ed published in the StarTribune. Nicholas Hengen and Emily Teplin write:
Our biggest concern was the blatantly discriminatory nature of marriage laws in Minnesota. We would never eat in a restaurant that refused to serve people of a particular race or religion; how could we participate in a civic institution that excludes our gay friends and family members?
…
By marrying in Canada, we protest our state’s discriminatory laws. Those laws should recognize same-sex unions, if not other kinds of familial relationships.
Read the entire commentary:
“Why a straight Minnesota couple will be wed in Canada”
by Nicholas Hengen and Emily Teplin
StarTribune, Mary 23, 2008
Meanwhile, Justin C. Adams wrote a blog post, “Hey StarTribune, what gives?” He writes that he and his wife did the same thing in 2005: They headed up to Canada to get married and they submitted an op-ed about their act of resistance to the StarTribune.
Justin wonders why his editorial with the same message was not published and this recent one was. I’ve been involved in publishing/writing enough to know you can’t worry too much about a decision making process that is totally out of your control. Your writing is only as good as the editor’s mood at any given moment. What’s more, considering the changes going on at the Strib these days, it’s highly doubtful that the folks who rejected Justin’s commentary are the same ones who accepted this one.
In any event, here’s an excerpt from the post at mn blue:
I refuse to support a civil unions law that discriminates between individuals on the basis of their gender. Many people frame the question as one of discrimination based on sexual orientation. I disagree. The only difference between two men applying for a marriage license an a man and a woman applying for the same license is the gender of one of the applicants.
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Hat tip: Eleventh Avenue South
Related resource: Marriage Boycott
Absolutely!!! Thank you for posting that.