Minnesota: the Greatest State in the Union
BY MOIRA MOYNIHAN
Most days of the year, I’ll concede that I can be a little dramatic when it comes to a “throw down for your hometown.” Being born and raised in the land of 10,000 lakes, I have never shied away from my Minnesota patriotism. Usually I am willing to admit that there are many other places with as many admirable traits as the North Star State, today, I promise you that Minnesota is unequivocally the greatest state in the union. As of today, Minnesota is the second state in the Midwest to have legalized gay marriage, the first via the legislature.
As a “flyover state” Minnesota and its agricultural neighbors tend to get a lot of flack for not being progressive enough, for being small minded, for somehow being lesser than the great coastal cities. But Minnesota didn’t achieve this momentous victory on accident. Minnesota has a long, storied history of standing up for our citizens and the greater good. We were the first state to send troops to Lincoln during the civil war. We were the only state to vote against Reagan when he ran for President, voting instead for home grown Minnesotan Walter Mondale and the first woman to ever grace the Vice Presidential ballot, Geraldine Ferraro. For this, we have the longest presidential Democratic voting record of any state. We have a history of producing great, liberal minded thinkers and politicians like Hubert Humphrey, Eugene McCarty, and one of the greatest senators of our time, the late Paul Wellstone. We sent the first ever Muslim representative to Capitol Hill. We consistently have the highest voter turnout in the nation. That’s probably because Minnesota has made it so easy to vote that all I need to do on Election Day to cast my ballot is bring a neighbor with me who can testify to my residence. We voted down a constitutional amendment last fall that sought to mandate voter ID at the polling booths, and maintained an incredible average of 67.6% of eligible voter turnout in the last six elections, 15 percent higher than average. And, in spite of the fact the average temperature in Minnesota is 41°F, we are frequently ranked as one of the states with the highest quality-of-life. And, our biggest stereotype is that we are “Minnesota nice.”
So with all of this background, I’m not too surprised to see us become a leader in the Midwest for marriage equality as well. While I wish I could say equality came quickly, the story of Minnesota’s path to equal love evolved turbulently. The only other Midwestern state to have legalized gay marriage is Iowa, having done so through a Supreme Court Decision. This incredibly progressive move was lauded by many, especially those who had so long doubted the capacity of “farm country” to lead in social justice. Sadly the citizens of Iowa voted out three of the judges who had given this historic victory to the Hawkeye state, and there have been repeated attempts to repeal the equality given to Iowans.
Minnesota’s story is different. The first attempt at a legal gay marriage happened in Minnesota in 1971. Baker v Nelson was brought to the MN Supreme Court, making history as a same-sex couple sued for the right to be married. Unsurprisingly, the court ruled against them, and the Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal, claiming it was “want of a substantial federal question.” Though our historic position suing for federal rights made many hopeful for our future as a progressive leader, our history quickly became littered with attempts to limit marriage between a man and a woman.
This brings us to last fall. As excited as I was to vote in my first presidential election, Minnesotans were also asked to vote on two constitutional amendments: one restricting voting rights, another restricting marriage to heterosexual couples. As Election Day approached, both measures were polling at scarily thin margins. As several other states were voting in equal marriage, Minnesota was merely voting to not make it more illegal. The mantra of DFLers (Democratic Farmer Labor Party) became “Vote NO Twice, Minnesota Nice,” and I am confident that vote was one of the most important I’ll cast in my life. I imagine telling my children or grandchildren about this vote years down the road, and I am enormously hopeful that they will be shocked that LGBT equality was even a question during my lifetime.
Luckily for us, on November 6th, 2012, Minnesota became the successfully voted down an attempt to ban same-sex marriage. The momentum from this victory was enormous. Anti-Gay Marriage voices had rallied allies and LGBT communities across the state, and the wheels for full equality were quickly set in motion. Just six months after rejecting a ban on gay marriage, Governor Dayton signed full marriage equality into law on May 14th,, 2013. As we watch conservative, restrictive legislation sweep the nation, I remind myself of this powerful story-arc often, inspired by the passion and dedication Minnesotans drew from attempts to limit our freedoms, letting progressive political backlash transform into legislation that extended a fundamental human right to thousands of our citizens.
I am so sad that I cannot be in Minnesota to celebrate this enormous victory with all of my LGBT friends. I have long identified as an ally, and while I recognize the enormous obstacles that we must still overcome, today is a day filled with so much hope and celebration. This summer has given the LGBT community so many victories, and today I am so happy that Minnesota can be fully and fabulously counted among them. So while your state may be above average, or at least second best, many days of the year, today is for Minnesota. For extending basic rights to a population that has waited for far too long. Here’s to many more progressive victories to come.
And of course, a heartfelt congratulations to all the Minnesotans getting married across the state. Best wishes from all of us wishing we could be there with you.