Paul Rosenthal: Same-Sex Marriage Bill 'Good Balance Between Civil, Religious Rights'

On Thursday, May 9, Edina State Rep. Paul Rosenthal (DFL-49B) was among the 75 votes cast in support of a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in Minnesota, putting it on the road to become the 12th state in the nation to do so.

In an update to constituents Friday, Rosenthal said the approved Marriage Equality Act strikes "a good balance between civil and religious rights." 

"The bill allows all couples the right to civil marriages—the kind you get at City Hall—and upholds religious freedoms by allowing clergy and congregations the right to refuse to perform same-sex marriages," Rosenthal said in a release. "An amendment was added by Representative FitzSimmons, a republican from Albertville, to strengthen the religious protections in the bill, which are the strongest of any state that has legalized same-sex marriage."

Fellow Edina legislator Ron Erhardt (DFL-49A) also voted in favor of the bill.

Rosenthal called the bill's passage Thursday "a historic moment," noting it was "very important to those on all sides of this issue."

A companion bill is set to go in the Minnesota Senate on Monday, May 13. The DFL holds a majority in that branch of the legislature and Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk said he believes he has the votes to pass the bill as early as Monday afternoon.

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