Gay marriage in minnesota

Approximately 1, same-sex couples married in Minnesota from August to September , representing about one-third of all marriages performed during that time. 75% of same-sex marriage licenses were issued in Hennepin and Ramsey counties. A Minnesota Supreme Court decision prohibited marriages between same-sex partners, and an appeal to the decision was dismissed by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Additionally, a state law defined a marriage as a civil contract “between a man and a woman.”.

is gay marriage legal in all states

Same-sex couples received nearly 1 in 3 marriage licenses issued in Minnesota since they were allowed to wed, The Associated Press found in a statewide survey of the first month's impact of the new gay marriage law. Based on these protections, the state of Minnesota passed a law in that officially legalized same-sex marriages.

In , the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the right to marriage exists regardless of sexual orientation. On May 14, , Governor Mark Dayton signed HF into law, making Minnesota's marriage law gender neutral. The bill was passed by the House on May 9, , and the Senate on May 13, The clerk, not realizing one of the individuals listed on the application was male, issued the license — though stopped short of officially recording it.

Nearly five decades later — after a prolonged legal battle to get their union legally recognized — their wish was granted. The couple received a letter from the Social Security Administration on Feb. The McConnells Jack took Michael's last name are now thought to be the longest-married, same-sex couple in the U.

After first being denied a marriage license in Hennepin County, Minnesota, in May , the couple figured out a loophole. With no proof of marriage, the McConnells explained, they could not collect Social Security spousal benefits, even after the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in In September of last year, after a lengthy legal battle, a Minnesota district court judge ruled the marriage valid.

In the letter they received from Social Security Administration in February, they learned they were entitled to spousal benefits. But to the men, the victory is about much more. Same-sex marriage was later legalized — first in Minnesota in , and two years later across the U. Now that their marriage is legally recognized, the men said they are finally vindicated.

Michael McConnell said they celebrated the way they always do. The McConnells, who met in graduate school at the University of Oklahoma in the late s, will celebrate 49 years of marriage in September. Michael, a retired librarian, and Jack, a retired lawyer and engineer, said they were always proud of their relationship. The Minneapolis couple, both longtime LGBTQ activists, remain steadfastly optimistic about the trajectory of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer rights.

Julie Compton is a freelance journalist in Brooklyn, New York. Follow her julieallmighty. IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Skip to Content. NBC News Logo. Search Search. Profile My News Sign Out. Sign In Create your free profile. Sections U. Follow NBC News. Latest Stories U. By Julie Compton.