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Thousands rally as Minnesota lawmakers pass same-sex marriage bill; Governor Dayton will sign tomorrow

By Kim DeFranco

Outpouring of support for same-sex marriage bill In MN State Capitol.

St. Paul, MN – 5000 people rallied throughout the Minnesota State Capitol here, May 13, to make their voices heard for the historic senate vote to legalize same-sex marriages in the state. The capitol overflowed with the equality campaign’s orange and blue color scheme. Supporters of marriage equality outnumbered the opponents by at least 20 to one. The chant “Vote yes!” could be heard throughout the building.

Minnesota is poised to be the next state to legalize same sex marriages.

On May 9, the House passed the bill with a 75 to 59 vote. On May 13, the Senate passed the bill 37 to 30. Governor Dayton will sign the bill into law May 14 at 5:00 p.m. in a signing ceremony on the steps of the capitol. It will go onto effect August 1.

Steff Yorek, who was at the rally, said, “There was so much joy at the capitol today.” She added, “Today is a historic day for Minnesota and is a large step forward for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer rights. I haven’t always agreed that marriage equality should be the top item on the agenda, but I am still grinning from ear to ear today.”

#StPaulMN #LGBTQRights #sameSexMarriage #GovernorMarkDayton