Minnesotans United for All Families announced this week that the coalition opposing a constitutional amendment that several prominent Republicans are joining with groups such as Planned Parenthood and the United Church of Christ to oppose the anti-gay marriage amendment that will come up for a vote on November’s ballot.

Last week, the leadership of Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota approved a resolution opposing the amendment. Here’s the resolution:

Whereas, we envision and work toward a world in which people can embrace and pursue their own dreams.

Whereas, we believe that people should be free to make life’s most profound choices about health care, childbearing and relationships in harmony with their dreams.

Whereas, we believe that all people, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, have fundamental human rights that must be respected and responsibilities that must be exercised.

Whereas, we advocate an end to inequality and discrimination that are barriers to making private decisions regarding sexuality, reproduction and relationships.

Whereas, we support loving families in all of their relationship forms and we work to ensure that they are strong and secure.

Whereas, we believe that strong families are fundamental to strong and healthy communities

Whereas, the values of courage, dignity, freedom, and truth are core to our mission and our work.

Therefore let it be resolved: That Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota opposes the amendment to the Minnesota Constitution banning same-sex marriage and the legal recognition of same-sex couples.

In addition, the Mayflower Community Congregational UCC, the Minnesota AIDS Project and the Minnesota Conference of the United Church of Christ all signed on to the Minnesotans United coalition.

On Thursday, the Log Cabin Republicans and Republicans Against the Minnesota Marriage Amendment officially joined Minnesotans United as well, and with them will be a number of prominent Republicans.

Rep. John Kriesel of Cottage Grove has signed on to the group’s steering committee. In addition, former gubernatorial candidate and Republican consultant Wheelock Whitney is joining the coalition, as well as Richard Painter who was Associate Counsel for President George W. Bush, former St. Paul Deputy Mayor under Norm Coleman Susan Kimberly and Dale Carpenter constitutional law professor at the University of Minnesota and who is a Republican.

While state Republicans are spearheading the contentious move to put a constitutional amendment barring same-sex marriage on the ballot next year, not all conservatives are behind them. In recent weeks, a number of conservatives — ranging from small-government and libertarian groups to gay Republicans — have spoken out against codification of marriage laws within the Minnesota Constitution. Some say the amendment is contrary to liberty, while others have taken on social conservative groups such as the Minnesota Family Council.

Minnesotans for Limited Government is a conservative political action committee that favors smaller government and supports Ron Paul for president. It came out against the GOP-backed anti–gay marriage amendment this week.

“It has always been the stance of MNLG that marriage is a sacrament, and therefore outside the jurisdiction of the state. We do not approve of any amendment or legislation that further seeks to define Marriage, because it is an infringement on two ideas,” wrote the group’s chair, Jake Barnett. “First, it reinforces the idea that the Government has the right to treat certain individuals differently than others, and second, it further removes Marriage from its original jurisdiction as a sacrament of faith.”

Barnett said that MNLG believes the state should not be involved with religious marriage.

“Under our policy, both heterosexual and homosexual couples could have their unions recognized by the state, but could not call their union a Marriage unless they sought the blessing of a Church. We do not believe any Church should be compelled to marry same-sex couples, but at the same time we respect the rights of Churches to do so if they choose.”

LGBT conservatives have also found the amendment problematic. The Minnesota Log Cabin Republicans are lobbying aggressively against the measure.

“In 2010, Log Cabin Republicans celebrated when the GOP took control of the Minnesota House and Senate. We looked forward to Republican legislators obeying a voter mandate to put a laser focus on the out-of-control spending at the State Capitol. It is deeply disappointing to see members of our party turn away from that mission in favor of a divisive social agenda,” Ken Smoron, Log Cabin’s vice president, said in a statement. “At a time when job creation, the economy, taxes, and the state’s budget are of utmost concern for Minnesota families and businesses, the proposed amendment is anti-liberty, anti-family, and a distraction that Minnesota just can’t afford.”

He added, “If we want to be more than a one-term majority we must focus on the issues that unite us as Republicans and Minnesotans. The days of using the lives of gay and lesbian Americans as a political wedge issue are over.”

The Libertarian Party of Minnesota held an “unusual” special meeting on May 7 to deliberate on the amendment. Party officials there unanimously condemned the marriage amendment.

“The proposed Gay Marriage Ban would expand government control and restrict the freedom of consenting adults to live their own lives as they choose. Libertarians believe that marriage is a private matter between individuals,” the party wrote. “We believe that marriage is a fundamental human right, and that all personal relationships, including marriage, should be at the sole discretion and agreement of the individuals involved, as well as any family, friends, or religious institutions they may choose to involve.”

It added, “We also oppose any attempt to place a marriage ban before voters, as the trappings of democracy do not legitimize infringements upon personal liberty; a 51 percent majority does not have the right to force its will upon the other 49 percent. We instead support a free society, where 1% can still be free to live their own lives as they choose, even if 99% might disapprove.”

The party also said it supports the repeal of the state’s Defense of Marriage Act, which bars same-sex couples from marrying.

The party’s vice chair, S.L. Mallek, appeared on the Late Debate, a conservative talk radio show in the northern Twin Cities suburbs.

“It’s about having parents that care about the child, not the gender of these parents,” Mallek said.

The Late Debate is hosted by Jack Tomczak, who has worked for Rep. Michele Bachmann and Tom Emmer, and Ben Kruse, a designer and media consultant who’s done work for a number of Republican campaigns.

Kruse agreed with Mallek. “I think if this passes, in 20 years, it will be repealed. I think Republicans will be on the wrong side of history on this one.”

Mallek added, “Government trying to legislate personal relationships… that’s not pro-liberty.”

In a separate episode of the Late Debate, Kruse and the Minnesota Family Council’s Tom Prichard engaged in a heated debate on the conservative principles regarding support or opposition to same-sex marriage.

“What it boils down to: Straight marriage isn’t very good,” Kruse said. “So why are we trying to exclude people who haven’t been given the opportunity to prove they can be very good parents.”

He said the gay marriage debate “distracts us from the parenting problem in this country.”

Listen to the debate between Kruse and Prichard:

Some Republicans have come out in support of same-sex marriage in recent months as well. Rep. John Kriesel, R-Cottage Grove, recently told the press that he opposes the amendment. “I look at it as: We are all equal,” he said.

Marriage equality seems to be an issue that is drawing GOP supporters elsewhere, too. Longtime GOP donors are starting to back efforts to make same-sex marriage legal in New York, with GOP contributors like Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Paul E. Singer, described by the New York Times as “one of the most generous Republican donors in the country,” kicking in funds.

“I think it is important in particular for Republicans to know this is a bipartisan issue,” Republican donor Daniel S. Loeb told Times. “If they’re Republican, they will not be abandoned by the party for supporting this. On the contrary, I think they will find that there is a whole new world of people who will support them on an ongoing basis if they support this cause.”

Sen. Julianne Ortman of Chanhassen earned praise for the Log Cabin Republicans on Friday after she was the lone Republican to vote to table a bill that adds a constitutional ban on gay marriage to the 2012 ballot. The motion to table was brought by Sen. Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook. Ortman had previously spoke in favor of rights for same-sex couples.

“Minnesota Log Cabin Republicans wishes to express its thanks to Senator Julianne Ortman (R-Chanhassen) for her vote today in the Senate Rules Committee to table a bill that would allow for the Minnesota state constitution to permanently ban same sex marriage,” the group wrote in a statement. “While we are saddened that the committee ultimately voted to send the bill to the full Senate for passage, we are hopeful that there are Republicans like Senator Ortman who are willing to stand up for fairness and against discrimination.”

The Log Cabin Republicans also included a speech that Sen. Ortman gave to the group last year.

…when I first heard marriage bills in this committee in 2003 and 2004 and they were the most painful hearings at the capitol that I recall. When the whole discussion was about whether the constitution should be amended to become a sword, to hurt people, to identify people as different and create disparities. And it was a terribly painful conversation for us to have around here and one that was very difficult to hear…I hear a very hopeful debate, hopeful that the state will recognize folks with a change in the law.

…the whole debate has changed 180 degrees and for that I’m so grateful; I’m certain that you all must be….And I see that minds and hearts are changing on this issue every single day. I don’t know when the majority of Minnesotans will switch, will change, will support your views. I don’t know that. But I know minds and hearts are changing on this issue every single day.

“Minnesota Log Cabin Republicans believes there are other GOP legislators who believe as Senator Ortman does,” the group added. “We ask them to stand up for equality and against discrimination.”

Republican Rep. John Kriesel of Cottage Grove has also come out strongly against the amendment in the House.

The Log Cabin Republicans and GOProud criticized former Gov. Tim Pawlenty for stating that he would reinstate the military’s ban on openly serving gay and lesbian servicemembers. Pawlenty told members of the Family Leader, a group that opposes rights for same-sex couples in Iowa, that if he was elected president in 2012, he would pull funding for the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. He also said he’s unsure if gays and lesbians should be allowed in the military at all.

The groups said Pawlenty was pandering to social conservatives to shore up a floundering presidential campaign.

Here’s video of Pawlenty’s statements in Iowa (story continues after video):

Pawlenty then doubled down on his call to defund the repeal.

Think Progress asked him, “Do you think gays should be allowed to serve in the military at all, or do you think it’s detrimental to unit cohesion?”

Pawlenty responded, “I really defer to the military leaders to a large degree on this issue. I supported maintaining Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

GOProud, a group of LGBT conservatives and a sponsor of the CPAC conference Pawlenty will speak at this weekend, belittled Pawlenty’s campaign. Chris Barron, chairman of the board of GOProud, released this statement:

I understand that Pawlenty is trying hard to get people to pay attention to his campaign. Its certainly a challenge for someone with such little stature in the conservative movement to compete with high profile conservative leaders like Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, Herman Cain, etc. Unfortunately for Pawlenty, comments like this simply show how totally out-of-touch he is with the issues that rank and file conservatives care about. If he wants to show he is a committed social conservative he would be much better served talking about the need to defund Planned Parenthood, end federal funding for abortion, reign in an out of control judiciary and support for a parents rigths amendment to protect home-schoolers.

The Log Cabin Republicans also dinged Pawlenty for his positions on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

“Governor Pawlenty’s comments fly in the face of both overwhelming public opinion and common sense,” said R. Clarke Cooper, Log Cabin Republicans executive director. “Congress voted in a bipartisan majority in December to enact the clear will of the American people, which demanded that ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ be stricken from the books. The Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and leadership throughout the Pentagon along with Congressional leaders, including Senator John McCain, are now in full support of implementing open service. The debate on this matter is done, and that Governor Pawlenty continues to fight the end of this failed and unconstitutional policy demonstrates that he is willing to put personal ambition and political pandering ahead of the priorities of the American people.”

DFL Rep. Ryan Winkler of Golden Valley sent a letter to Majority Leader Matt Dean on Thursday pressing for a hearing on an amendment that would direct the Minnesota House to pass a budget bill before it can deal with constitutional amendments such as one banning marriage rights for same-sex couples. Republicans had promised to put the deficit ahead of wedge social issues but religious conservatives have already begun a campaign to get them on the ballot.

“We should not spend our time debating divisive social issues and constitutional amendments,” wrote Winkler. “Putting social issues on the ballot will do nothing to get Minnesotans back to work, deliver the highest-quality education for our students or improve Minnesota’s quality of life.”

He added, “As Speaker [Kurt] Zellers himself has stated, job creation and the budget deficit must be the Legislature’s highest priorities.”

Rep. Ryan Winkler

The rules amendment, offered by DFL Rep. Paul Thissen of Minneapolis, would have forced the House to deal with the budget before proposing constitutional amendments. Majority Leader Matt Dean instead moved to have it referred to committee, and his motion passed along party lines. Winkler said that it should be heard in committee as soon as possible.

Already the issue of a constitutional amendment banning relationship rights for same-sex couples has popped up. Next Friday, the Minnesota Family Council is hosting its “Family and Marriage Summit,” which will focus on getting an amendment on the ballot in 2012. The group invited all Minnesota legislators to the event.

And on religious right radio last week, Republicans vowed to push the issue forward. Two newly elected legislators, Sens. Dan Hall and Pam Wolf, of Bloomington and Spring Lake Park respectively, discussed the upcoming session on Pastor Brad Brandon‘s radio program.

“On social issues, I would like to see something to move forward with the [Defense of Marriage Act],” Wolf said.

“DOMA we will get to, the marriage amendment for sure,” Hall said.

“I think we will see that on the ballot in 2012,” Wolf said, “but the top priority will be getting our economy going.”

The Minnesota Family Council is already pushing back on the amendment to make fixing the budget deficit the top priority. Chuck Darrell, communications director for the group, tweeted on Thursday, “Same crowd that boasted they’d legalize [same-sex marriage] in 2011 offers phony rules amendment to scare GOP away from ‘divisive’ marriage amendment.’”

But despite noise from the Minnesota Family Council and some Republican legislators, the Minnesota Log Cabin Republicans said they trust GOP leadership will stick to their promise to focus on the budget.

“The incoming Majority Leader [of the state Senate] and Speaker [of the state House of Representatives] have made it crystal clear they’re not going to be focusing on social issues,” Mark Kneif, chair of the Minnesota Log Cabins, told reporter James Sanna. “The Minnesota Family Council is pushing that…but I don’t think they’ll get much traction.”

Read Winkler’s letter:

rw.letter.to.rep.dean.1.6.11 –

Republicans wooing voters by expressing support for gay marriage? While at the top of the ticket GOP candidates have avoided social issues at all costs — gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer has dodged such questions at every debate — Minnesota House candidate Brian Gruber has championed gay marriage as an issue of personal freedom. He’s among seven GOP candidates endorsed by the Minnesota chapter of the Log Cabin Republicans, an LGBT group that favors marriage equality.

In ads placed in the Wedge Neighborhood News, Gruber states that voting for him will “help make it happen” for same-sex marriage. For Gruber, a fiscal moderate, it’s an issue of personal responsibility. In another ad, he says the same about medical marijuana.

Gruber was the only Republican-endorsed candidate in the Twin Cities Pride Parade this summer, and he believes these issues play well in a district like 60A, which covers Minneapolis neighborhoods just south of downtown and in parts of Uptown.

“The medical marijuana ad has been the more effective of the two,” he told the Minnesota Independent. “Within a week of running the ads, about a dozen people contacted me asking how they could help.”

The marriage equality ads have been less effective because the DFL still holds a lock on the issue, Gruber says, but he feels it shouldn’t.

“People like that I support marriage equality, but aren’t quite ready to believe that the DFL is playing political games with the GLBT vote,” he said. “The GOP is so vocally against the GLBT lifestyle that all the DFL has to do is pay lip service to equality issues and they are guaranteed support.”

He provided this analogy: “If I hired someone to paint my house and four years later the guy keeps telling me he supports the right to have me house painted, but it was the same color, I’d be pretty pissed off.”

Gruber has the endorsement of the Log Cabin Republicans, as do six other candidates, almost all of whom reside in Minneapolis or St. Paul. One Log Cabin–endorsed candidate has a shot at making it to the Legislature: Norann Dillon in Senate District 43, which includes parts of Plymouth and Minnetonka in the western Minneapolis suburbs.

The seat is represented by DFLer Teri Bonoff, who won it in 2006 by only 4 points. In an election year where Republicans are expected to do well, Dillon may stand a chance.

Also endorsed by the Log Cabins: Patrick Elgin in Senate District 62, Rick Rice in House District 44A, Gary Mazzotta in House District 58B, Wes Whitby in House District 62A and Nathan Atkins in House District 63A.

Gruber said he enjoyed the Log Cabins’ endorsement questionnaire because it focused on a range of issues, not just LGBT issues. “Their endorsement questionnaire was easily the longest of any group I have seen during the campaign,” he said.

For Gruber, spending and responsiveness are also issues in the campaign.

“One of my priorities is lowering spending, but I’m not out to give the axe to worthwhile programs,” he said, adding that if elected he’ll hold weekly meetings in the district to get feedback from residents. “I’ll use these meetings to give people a chance to tell me what is important to them, and where they want me to focus my attention.”

As for the tea party, Gruber said he doesn’t fit the mold.

“Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin seem to be the favorites of the tea party – I don’t imagine that the people who get excited about those two would get excited about me,” he said. “I don’t consider myself a part of the tea party movement, and I doubt they would as well.”

“My impression of the tea party is that it really isn’t much different than the Republican Party or the DFL; they all seem to share the same message of ‘I’m right, you’re wrong,’” he added. “I really just don’t think people should use politics to tell adults how they should lead their lives.”

The Minnesota Log Cabin Republicans hope to send Republicans to the Capitol who will stay true to the principle of fairness for LGBT Minnesotans, and the group hopes to build a more inclusive GOP.

And above all things, they are Republicans.

“We endorse Republican candidates,” Log Cabins president Mark Knieff recently told MinnPost. “Obama has not been a friend. And a fierce advocate, he’s been anything but. People need to wake up to the fact that just because there’s a ‘D’ after someone’s name [it doesn't mean] they’re supportive of our issues.”

Calling Koering a “respected and hard-working legislator,” the group said it disagreed with Koering’s stance against the bill. “Full equality for gays and lesbians, including civil marriage rights, is consistent with Log Cabin’s core conservative beliefs of limited government, individual liberty and individual responsibility, and strong, stable families,” the group said in a statement Friday. “We are committed to working with Republican elected officials, including Sen. Koering, to increase their understanding of the inequalities that gays and lesbians face every day in Minnesota and the legal barriers to building and sustaining strong committed relationships in their lives.”

But while the group disagreed with Koering’s decision, it saved most of the criticism for the DFL. “Unfortunately, DFL leadership is actively working to prevent this bill from coming to the floor for a vote. It is neither Senator Koering, nor the Republican Party, who is currently standing in the way of this legislation coming to fruition,” said the Log Cabin statement. “Fair-minded citizens of all political parties should hold the current majority accountable for walking the talk on civil marriage equality.”

The full press release:

Log Cabin Republicans of Minnesota knows Sen. Paul Koering to be a respected and hard-working legislator, a strong advocate for his constituents, and a highly caring individual. That being said, we disagree with Sen. Koering’s reported position in opposition to S.F. 120, the Marriage and Family Protection Act. Full equality for gays and lesbians, including civil marriage rights, is consistent with Log Cabin’s core conservative beliefs of limited government, individual liberty and individual responsibility, and strong, stable families. We are committed to working with Republican elected officials, including Sen. Koering, to increase their understanding of the inequalities that gays and lesbians face every day in Minnesota and the legal barriers to building and sustaining strong committed relationships in their lives. We are confident that through constructive discussions we will win over the hearts and minds of these elected officials, as well as those in our communities.

We also believe that the focus on Sen. Koering’s comments is both disproportionate and highly misplaced. While we believe that a bipartisan approach is the best path towards fairness and equality, the fact of the matter is that S.F. 120 could be passed in both the Senate and the House without a single Republican vote, and a veto overridden in the Senate without Sen. Koering’s or any other Republican’s vote. In the House, a veto override would require the support of three Republicans with whom we look forward to convincing and working with to eliminate this government-sponsored discrimination. Unfortunately, DFL leadership is actively working to prevent this bill from coming to the floor for a vote. It is neither Senator Koering, nor the Republican Party, who is currently standing in the way of this legislation coming to fruition. Fair minded citizens of all political parties should hold the current majority accountable for walking the talk on civil marriage equality.

Log Cabin Republicans of Minnesota promotes legislation to provide basic fairness for gay and lesbian Americans and works to build a more inclusive GOP. It is a chapter of Log Cabin Republicans, a 30-year old organization which has state and local chapters nationwide, a full-time office in Washington, DC, a federal political action committee and state political action committees.

The Log Cabin Republicans, a national federation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Republicans, met in St. Paul on Tuesday to endorse the ticket of Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin. While acknowledging that McCain isn’t perfect on gay rights issues, the group was adamant in its belief that McCain wishes to, and can, wrest control of the party away from the religious right.

McCain’s national political director, Mike DuHaime, thanked the Log Cabins for the “important endorsement,” and RNC treasurer Tim Morgan greeted them, saying that it was important for a high ranking RNC member such as himself to be there.