Secrets of the City

Apparently, marriage isn’t about love at all (perhaps we knew that), but about reproduction — or something like that. Katherine Kersten breaks down the “slippery slope” of gay marriage, claiming it’s not antigay bigotry that keeps her from supporting it, but the simple fact that, “Sex between men and women creates new human beings.” According to Kersten, gay marriage would, “gut marriage of its fundamental meaning and transform it from an institution centered on children and the mother/father nuclear family to one centered on adults.”

Ok, so marriage is about children, not adults. Does a childless marriage also threaten the institution? Birth control? Infertility? Ok, so how about establishing some other form of union for us childless beasts? Anybody want to suggest a name?

Maybe our DFL gubernatorial candidates can weigh in on the issue.

The Star-Tribune reports: Unmarried couples — same sex or not — will soon be able to register their names with the city of St. Paul to get a certificate saying they’re in a committed relationship.

The Star-Tribune reports: The next round of the perennial battle over same-sex marriage in Minnesota was officially joined on Thursday. A bill that would define marriage as a civil contract between “two persons,” rather than a man and a woman, was introduced in the state Senate, sponsored by five DFL members.

Our neighbors to the south, thanks to a unanimous ruling from the Iowa Supreme Court, allows gay couples to legally marry in Iowa beginning April 24.

Erica at Cinna.mn answers the question “Where should I donate to support marriage equality in Minnesota?” In the meanwhile, the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library offers a surprisingly detailed list of resources on the topic of same-sex marriage in Minnesota. Senator John Marty, on MinnPost, argues that it is time to move foreward on the subject.

MinnPost discusses the unique difficulties in legalizing gay marriage in Minnesota: “We’re all about marriage equality,” said Phil Duran, staff attorney for Outfront Minnesota, an organization that pushes for rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. “But litigation is NOT a good idea at this time. I find this personally frustrating. I went to law school because I wanted to rattle cages, but …”

When couples who want to go to court to win the right to marry come to Outfront, they’re told, “Not yet.”