By: Cody Nelson
The state Senate made Minnesota one step closer to becoming the 12th state to legalize same-sex marriage on Monday.
After more than four hours of debate, senators voted 37-30 in favor of a bill legalizing same-sex marriage. Gov. Mark Dayton is expected to sign it into law on Tuesday, which would take effect Aug. 1 .
The bill, which the House passed in a 75-59 vote last Thursday, legalizes civil marriage between two persons and provides exemptions based on religious association.
Supporters on both sides of the issue packed the Capitol, but only those in favor remained celebrating in the rotunda with songs and chants after Monday's vote.
“I'm 60 years old and I never thought I'd live to see this,” said Linda Lindsay , a volunteer with Minnesotans United For All Families, the main organization supporting the push .
The historic measure marks a rapid shift in public opinion regarding same-sex marriage.
Two years ago, the Republican-led Legislature put last fall's proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in Minnesota on the ballot.
Minnesotans, however, voted the amendment down and put Democrats in control of both the House and Senate.
“Times change, perceptions of what's acceptable in society change,” said Sen. Ron Latz, DFL-St. Louis Park, in an address to the Senate floor. “This is indeed the civil rights issue of our generation.”
But the bill didn't pass without some controversy. All but one Republican voted against the measure and many voiced moral concerns with the law. The bill would also make it so clergy members can refuse to recognize a civil marriage for any reason.
Sen. Dan Hall, R-Burnsville, said he will be called a “bigot” or a “hater” for voting against the bill, but stood by his decision.
“There are things in life that are worth standing up for, even being persecuted for,” he said.
Some senators said there isn't a consensus supporting same-sex marriage in Minnesota. Last fall's amendment failed with 52.5 percent of Minnesotans voting it down.
“I'm sorry that we don't have room for people of faith in our statue books anymore,” said Sen. Warren Limmer, R-Maple Grove.
Others disagreed, including the bill's author, Sen. Scott Dibble, DFL-Minneapolis, who said the bill isn't as “earth-shattering as people might think.”
“We are redefining nothing,” Dibble said. “There's no limit to love; it's not going to be used up — it only expands.”
One lone Republican Senator, Branden Petersen, R-Andover, voted in favor of the bill. He said he's never felt more uncertain about his future in office but stood by his vote.
“I'm absolutely certain that I'm standing on the side of individual liberty,” he said in the Senate debate.
Dibble gave his support for the bill in personal terms and talked about his husband, Richard Levya.
“Here in Minnesota, [Levya] and I are legal strangers,” Dibble said. “How can that be okay?”