State should defeat marriage amendment

The sweetest love story I know started at Park. My friend’s two moms, who walked the A200 hallway together, have now enjoyed more than 30 years of commitment to one another. Their family is the picture of a loving home, and in my mind, exactly what a marriage looks like.

With 27 words, the proposed marriage amendment would limit the freedom to marry for couples like them across the state who seek to build stable homes and families.

St. Louis Park was among the first cities in Minnesota to openly oppose the amendment in support of these families, with Mayor Jeff Jacobs denouncing the proposal.

This sense of “Minnesota nice” is why love and commitment should define a marriage, not gender.

While marriage is a distant concept for most teens, the idea of respect and inclusion strikes home for many of us.

Imagining a big white wedding is difficult for someone stuck in high school,  but understanding what it feels like to be excluded is not.

Gay and lesbian couples are excluded from approximately 515 state benefits given to married same-sex couples, according to the Human Rights Campaign.

Opposing the constitutional amendment that would place a permanent ban on same sex marriage is so radically important because no one should feel ostracized for wanting to build a family with the love of their life.

For who cannot vote, or those who lack a voice in the ballots, be vocal about why defeating the marriage amendment is important to you and ask others to cast their vote for you.

Studies conducted by Minnesotans United for All Families show that 67 percent of voters who had conversations with people with gay and lesbian friends about the marriage amendment would vote against it.

Defeating the marriage amendment would send a message to these families that as a country, we accept their commitment and stand firm in protecting their rights to express their love.

So in the next few days, take time to speak to others around you about the importance of voting against this amendment.

Because after all, it’s the Minnesota nice thing to do.