Minnesota Shows Political Courage

Earlier this week Governor Mark Dayton signed a gay marriage bill into law, making Minnesota the twelfth state in the Union to allow marriage equality. Same-sex couples can begin getting married in that state on August 1^st.

What a difference a year can make. Last year, Minnesota put a referendum on the ballot to ban same-sex marriage in the state forever. It narrowly lost.

Before the state senate vote, Dayton had encouraged lawmakers to read John F. Kennedy’s Pulitzer Prize winning book Profiles in Courage. I like to think this made a difference. In fact, I’m thinking this book should be required reading for all legislators in the U.S. House and Senate.