US: Anti-equal marriage group protests Minnesota same-sex marriages with new ‘Marriage Majority’ campaign

Illustrated rainbow pride flag on a pink background.

Despite celebrations today following the legalisation of same-sex marriage in the US state of Minnesota, an anti-equal marriage campaign group has decided to launch a new protest to elect a “pro-marriage majority” to the state House in 2014.

The law for Minnesota came into effect yesterday allowing weddings to begin just after midnight, and 42 couples were expected to be married at Minneapolis City Hall in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Minnesota for Marriage (MM), an organisation adamantly opposed to equal marriage, announced today that the “Marriage Majority Initiative” is the necessary next step for anti-equal marriage protesters to reclaim a majority state opposition to same-sex marriage.

In May, when the bill was first passed, MM declared it a “sad day” for the state, and said that the bill “tramples religious liberty rights of thousands of Minnesotans”.

In a statement issued today, chairman John Helmberger said: “Minnesotans around the state have been asking ‘what’s next?’ after a group of legislators forced same-sex ‘marriage’ on the state.

“The Marriage Majority Initiative will help them answer that question by restoring a pro-Marriage majority in their state government.

“We are blessed to live in a country where The People can choose their representation. And, when their chosen representation fails them, the People have the opportunity to choose new leaders.”

The group said it intends to support state lawmakers who voted against the same-sex marriage bill and to encourage opposition to those who voted in its favour.

In the statement issued last month, MM said: “Now we are being told that redefining marriage poses no threat to religious liberty—that ‘everything will be ok’—and again, we argue that this is false.

“Over one million Minnesotans will be forced to either affirm what they believe to be false or subject themselves to prosecution and insult as ‘bigots’ and ‘criminals’ under our law with the passage of this bill.

“Minnesota will be discovering the unintended consequences and sentencing more and more people of faith to prosecution under our laws for years to come as a result of this decision made by a few today.”

Earlier today it was revealed that the increased number of weddings following the Minnesotan law could mean as much as $130 million (£85 million) would be added to the local wedding industry.

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