Civil/Human Rights

Rep. Keith Ellison spoke at the National Iranian American Council last week about the struggles facing the Iranian people as they protest the current regime. Ellison, Congress’ first Muslim, told attendees that freedom should be supported but not enforced.

You Can Run But You Cannot Hide, the front group for the punk rock ministry of Bradlee Dean, took his brand of fundamentalist Christianity to a DFL gubernatorial meet-and-greet several weeks ago to confront Sen. John Marty about his support for “sin” and homosexuals. Dean and fellow group frontman Jake McMillian repeatedly asked Marty about [...]

Three bills that would assist same-sex couples in the event of one partner’s death were passed by the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. Legislators recalled stories of couples who underwent hardships because of inequality in the law, while Tom Prichard of the Minnesota Family Council called the bills “discriminatory” and said they are “unfair to married couples.”

State Sen. Mee Moua said some who testified at a Mar. 2 hearing on gay marriage were so “fixated on the sex-making aspects” that they missed the spirit of the bill. But here’s another aspect of recent hearings on the topic that hasn’t been examined: Tuesday’s statement by Janet Boynes was nearly identical to one by Barb Davis White. One difference: Boynes didn’t repeat White’s claim that “Rosa Parks didn’t move to the front of the bus to support sodomy.”

Gay marriage will get another hearing in the Minnesota Legislature on Tuesday when the Senate Judiciary Committee will hear three bills that deal with the issue. Like their counterparts in the House, the bills will be introduced and testimony heard, but no vote will be taken.

For the first time in Minnesota history, a legislative committee contemplated the legalization of same-sex marriage in the state on Monday. And while gay and lesbian families shared moving testimony about the hardships their families face because they cannot marry, a duo of congressional candidates stole the show with controversial commentary on gays and lesbians.

Rep. Keith Ellison has been vocal in recent weeks about the plight of the people of Iran, many of whom are taking to the streets demanding increased freedoms under a totalitarian government. In December, Ellison introduced a bill imposing stricter sanctions on Iran, and now he’s urging Minnesotans to stand in solidarity with the people of Iran.

U.S. Sen. Al Franken is one of a handful of senators from both parties sponsoring a bill condemning the Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2009, legislation in Uganda that could lead to capital punishment for gays and lesbians there. The bill is seen by observers as an outgrowth of American evangelical Christianity, specifically the secretive evangelical political [...]

Binational same-sex couples face added hardships in America compared with married couples because the government does not recognize their relationships. Rep. Keith Ellison is among a group of Congress members who are looking to change that.

It’s unlikely same-sex marriage will become law in Minnesota this year — Gov. Tim Pawlenty will undoubtedly veto it and skittish DFLers may vote against it in an election year — but the bill’s chief author in the Senate says it could get a hearing and possibly make it out of committee.