Eleventh Avenue South

The Minnesota chapter of the Log Cabin Republicans, an organization dedicated to working within the Republican party to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, responded to reports that Republican Senator Paul Koering would vote against a marriage equality bill introduced in the Minnesota Senate.

Calling Koering a “respected and hard-working legislator,” the group said it disagreed with Koering statement that he would vote against the bill. “Full equality for gays and lesbians, including civil marriage rights, is consistent with Log Cabin’s core conservative beliefs of limited government, individual liberty and individual responsibility, and strong, stable families,” the group said in a statement Friday. “We are committed to working with Republican elected officials, including Sen. Koering, to increase their understanding of the inequalities that gays and lesbians face every day in Minnesota and the legal barriers to building and sustaining strong committed relationships in their lives.”

But while the group disagreed with Koering’s decision, it saved most of the criticism for the DFL. “Unfortunately, DFL leadership is actively working to prevent this bill from coming to the floor for a vote. It is neither Senator Koering, nor the Republican Party, who is currently standing in the way of this legislation coming to fruition,” said the Log Cabins. “Fair minded citizens of all political parties should hold the current majority accountable for walking the talk on civil marriage equality.”

The full press release is after the jump.

Log Cabin Republicans of Minnesota knows Sen. Paul Koering to be a respected and hard-working legislator, a strong advocate for his constituents, and a highly caring individual. That being said, we disagree with Sen. Koering’s reported position in opposition to S.F. 120, the Marriage and Family Protection Act. Full equality for gays and lesbians, including civil marriage rights, is consistent with Log Cabin’s core conservative beliefs of limited government, individual liberty and individual responsibility, and strong, stable families. We are committed to working with Republican elected officials, including Sen. Koering, to increase their understanding of the inequalities that gays and lesbians face every day in Minnesota and the legal barriers to building and sustaining strong committed relationships in their lives. We are confident that through constructive discussions we will win over the hearts and minds of these elected officials, as well as those in our communities.We also believe that the focus on Sen. Koering’s comments is both disproportionate and highly misplaced. While we believe that a bipartisan approach is the best path towards fairness and equality, the fact of the matter is that S.F. 120 could be passed in both the Senate and the House without a single Republican vote, and a veto overridden in the Senate without Sen. Koering’s or any other Republican’s vote. In the House, a veto override would require the support of three Republicans with whom we look forward to convincing and working with to eliminate this government-sponsored discrimination. Unfortunately, DFL leadership is actively working to prevent this bill from coming to the floor for a vote. It is neither Senator Koering, nor the Republican Party, who is currently standing in the way of this legislation coming to fruition. Fair minded citizens of all political parties should hold the current majority accountable for walking the talk on civil marriage equality.

Log Cabin Republicans of Minnesota promotes legislation to provide basic fairness for gay and lesbian Americans and works to build a more inclusive GOP. It is a chapter of Log Cabin Republicans, a 30-year old organization which has state and local chapters nationwide, a full-time office in Washington, DC, a federal political action committee and state political action committees.

The Alliance Defense Fund, a conservative Christian nonprofit in Scottsdale, Ariz., that receives funding from Focus on the Family, sent a legal memo to Minneapolis Public Schools urging them to drop the “Welcoming Schools” curriculum that they are currently considering implementing at Hale and Jefferson schools.

“Welcoming Schools” is an initiative of the Human Rights Campaign, and Minnesota is one of three states that are being used as a pilot for the program. The curriculum addresses three main topics: family diversity, gender stereotyping and name-calling.

The curriculum is an anti-bullying tool kit for schools to use to confront violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students. While the curriculum has been met with suspicion by some parents based on religious objection, school officials have noted that they have had requests from parents to implement the program.

The Alliance Defense Fund letter (PDF) says, “The indoctrination of children with HRC’s anti-religion political agenda will present serious practical and legal problems, especially adults are charged with the safety and security of other people’s children. You are urged to please refrain from allowing your schools to be utilized as a pilot program for HRC.”

While the ADF letter claims that religious freedom is an issue for MPS, their own representatives make it clear that it instead is a reaction to the religious right’s favorite catch-phrase: the “homosexual agenda.”

“The government should promote and encourage strong families,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Austin R. Nimocks in a press statement Monday. “When school officials have to choose between protecting children in those families or furthering the homosexual agenda, the choice is obvious: protecting our children comes first.”

Curiously, the ADF opened the Center for Academic Freedom in Nashville, Tenn. That freedom appears to only work in one direction as ADF’s attempts to quash the “Welcoming Schools” curriculum would restrict rather than expand the breadth of discussion.