When: Tuesday, February 9, 2010 7pm-10pm

Where: The Independent – 3001 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis

Please join us for a recap of our 2009 activities and progress (including our meetings with Governor Pawlenty) and learn about our exciting plans for 2010. Victor Gomez, Republican Party of Minnesota Director of Outreach and Coalitions, is our guest speaker for the evening. Food will be served. Cocktails will be consumed. Everyone is welcome. Come learn what we are all about!

…the Log Cabin Republicans — an organization for gay and lesbian Republicans — seem to believe that the younger generation in the party doesn’t want to waste political capital on such things as gay marriage.

“I think that the party rhetoric is different than the real attitudes,” said Mark Knief, a Minneapolis resident who is chairman of the Minnesota’s Log Cabin members. “I don’t think the younger generation sees it (homosexuality) as an issue.’’

Knief said he was a little anxious when he arrived at the River Centre to man the Log Cabin booth at the convention.

“But everyone has been cordial,” he said.

Well, just about everyone.

One woman dropped by the booth to tell Knief that “AIDs is God’s judgment.’’

Overall, though, Knief said, it’s easier to “come out to Republicans than it is to come out and tell your gay friends that you are a Republican. I think the party is changing. It has to.”

Thanks to Mark for being a presence at the state convention and reminding the GOP that inclusion wins!

Also welcome to those of you who expressed interest in joining and/or learning more about our organization.

You are invited to our next meeting, this coming Monday, July 13, in the Parlour room of the Wilde Roast Cafe at 518 East
Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis from 6:30 to 8pm. PLEASE NOTE–it is on Monday,not Thursday, the day we have met on in the past.

Our special guest will be Republican State Senator Paul Koering of Fort Ripley, one of the few gay members of the Minnesota
Legislature. He will be reporting on what’s happening in State Government, especially the results of the recent legislative
session. He may also talk about his possible entry into the 2010 Gubernatorial race, since incumbent Governor Tim Pawlenty hasannounced that he is not running again.

We will also have an update on Log Cabin Republican activities, including Pride, LCR’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” lawsuit, press
releases calling out the Obama Administration’s weak efforts on GLBT issues, and an upcoming LCR Trustee Strategy Retreat
scheduled for September.

We hope you can come–we value your interest and support. Help us get a count by RSVP’ing us at info@mnlogcabin.org .

If you have any questions or suggestions please email our Chapter Chair Mark Knief at markk@mnlogcabin.org , or you can
call me, Alan, at 612-868-9752.

Alan Shilepsky
Treasurer
Log Cabin Republicans–Minnesota Chapter
http://www.mnlogcabin.org/
info@mnlogcabin.org

Our plan this year is threefold: 1) To increase awareness of Log Cabin Republicans, 2) To point out that there are high profile Republicans in favor of gay marriage, and 3) work toward making it to be okay to “come out as a Republican.” 

Oh yeah, and to have a little fun as well!

Please consider stopping by our booth in Loring Park this Saturday or Sunday and show your support for Log Cabin Republicans and GLBT equality!

Happy Pride!

Marriage is a sacred institution, but it’s sacred for what it stands for, not what defines it.

Throughout world history, it was commonplace for marriage to be more about feudal lords marrying off sons and daughters for geopolitical alliances, or for the linking of houses and families for monetary gain. Love wasn’t even an issue. Marrying out of one’s social caste? Don’t even think about it. Until 50 years ago, one really couldn’t marry outside of one’s own ethnicity/race in many parts of this nation.

Marriage, just like humanity, has come a long way since countries were united because of the forced marriage of children.

But more than a religious and cultural upbringing that many share, the conviction as a true conservative compels an advocacy for marriage equality. Anybody with a strong commitment to protecting individual liberties, securing personal freedoms and advocating for small government, letting people live their lives by their own choosing without someone else telling them how to live it, should be supportive of marriage equality.

Conservatism, in its most basic sense, is the affirmation that the individual, enlightened by God, can and does have the ability to make the best choices for himself/herself and his/her family. The individual and family are the nexus of one’s neighborhood and community, and thus the state and nation as well.

A conservative political philosophy is one that supports the idea that individuals, families and communities are best equipped to make decisions for the betterment of said communities, addressing concerns, cultural issues and circumstances that are unique to each community.

A federal government mandate coming from a faraway national capital instructing how one should and should not lead one’s life is inherently not conservative. This applies to the government dictating how an individual should and should not spend his money, defend himself, conduct his personal affairs, run his family and make decisions about his body and health.

This is why these statewide “bans” on gay marriage just don’t make sense – and even more so, all of the ill-fated attempts to institute a federal amendment to the Constitution banning gay marriage. What gives anybody the right to tell others how to live their life and dictate what their family should look like?

The argument about “redefining marriage” is a moot point – it’s already happening! As a society, we changed the definition of marriage to allow interracial, interclass and interreligious marriage, and that would be a “redefinition” from just 100 years ago. Heck, we actually encourage people to marry for love now, and that certainly wasn’t the case within the past few centuries. That is a huge redefinition!

Gay and lesbian people are active, vital members of every community, whether in small rural towns or big urban cities, and are just as diverse as the nation. While the lifestyle may make some uncomfortable, the gay and lesbian community is not asking for acceptance or validation. Our relationships are our family.

Gay and lesbian partners form those same bonds that straight married couples do that make a marriage – reliance, faithfulness, truth and love. Our relationships form the basis for those same qualities that make strong neighborhoods and communities. We are as affected by and care about the quality of our schools, the tax and crime rates in our communities just as much as any straight couple does.

If some religious denominations wish to marry only opposite-sex unions, that is their right and prerogative. Many agree that marriage is a religious institution, but religion cannot be used as a basis to deny societal rights and privileges from a specific class of people.

Government has inserted itself (no surprise) into the marriage business. There are thousands of rights that the government has built into the term “marriage,” such as hospital visitation, insurance and survivor benefits and ease of financial transference issues that the government has grafted on to this originally religious institution. Even if civil unions were the national law, there would still be more than 1,100 rights that would be denied to gay and lesbian people simply because of the word “marriage.”

Some of the vocal opponents of marriage equality employ scare tactics, such as alleging that ministers who oppose same-sex marriage will be jailed if they do not comply, although the First Amendment protects clergy and anybody who wishes to speak his opinion (and when the federal government made segregation illegal, there was not a single instance of a minister being prosecuted for refusing to marry partners of differing races).

Additionally, in all 50 states, laws are on the books guaranteeing that parents are firmly in control – not the government – when issues of family planning and sexuality are discussed in schools. It is, and always has been, up to the parents to decide how and when their children are instructed in these subjects.

Marriage equality is a return to conservative principals of letting people enter into arrangements that best suit their needs. Take a real look at marriage between two consenting, loving adults, the stability, happiness and joy it brings, and the benefits to stabilizing communities and families. These are virtues that we as an American society should be trying to promote, not deny. Marriage equality makes for a stronger family, community, state and nation.

Charles Moran is a spokesman for the Log Cabin Republicans, a national organization whose stated mission is “to work within the Republican Party to advocate equal rights for all Americans, including gays and lesbians.”

Because gay and lesbian youth experience a disproportionate amount of bullying and harassment, to the detriment of their well-being and their ability to do well in school, it seems wrong to exclude them from the explicit attention of a model harassment policy for schools.  HF1198 would correct this.

Frankly, our Log Cabin board members, as conservatives, have concerns about proliferating “protected classes” and “victim groups.”  But if the State is going to address harassment issues in the schools–and include other categories explicitly–it would be negligent to exclude a group that is at significantly higher risk than the average student for harassment and bullying.

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.

We need your help! Minnesota Log Cabin Republicans are counting
down to the annual Twin Cities Pride Festival on June 27-28, and
will be planning our Pride booth at our meeting this Thursday.

The meeting is from 6:30 to 8 pm Thursday, May 7, in the Parlour
room of the Wilde Roast Cafe at 518 East Hennepin Avenue in
Minneapolis.

We will also hear a report from our Board Chair Mark Knief on
the recent National Log Cabin Convention in Washington, DC,
where McCain Campaign Manager Steve Schmidt and John McCain’s
daughter Meghan McCain encouraged Log Cabin members and spoke in
favor of a more inclusive Republican Party. Schmidt also offered
strong support for same-sex marriage. (speeches at
http://online.logcabin.org/ )

Mark will also report on some of the connections we are making
locally with other Republican groups to grow the Party and the
gay and lesbian presence in it. At the meeting we will have as a
guest Nik Ludwig, the head of the Minneapolis City Committee, to
talk about our joint plans for Pride Weekend.

Hope you can come–we need your interest and support.

If you have any questions or suggestions please call Alan at
612-868-9752.

Alan Shilepsky
Treasurer
Log Cabin Republicans–Minnesota Chapter
http://www.mnlogcabin.org/

In Minnesota, disappointingly, civil marriage and other equality bills failed to even make it to the legislative floor for honest debate – and not because of prevention from Republicans. This fact is another example that the best path towards eliminating government-sponsored discrimination against gay and lesbian citizens is one that engages the support of fair-minded legislators of all parties. LCR-MN continues its work to educate Republican elected officials and leaders on 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.

Unfortunately, the Iowa ruling has the potential to spark additional attacks on fairness and equality from misguided groups that create fear and bigotry from their selective use of historical information and unsubstantiated “facts”. If these groups are truly interested in the noble mission of strengthening families they would be well advised to focus on meaningful, relevant activities that actually do protect marriage and advance children and families.

LCR-MN continues its work ensuring inclusiveness in the Republican Party for all citizens who share core values of limited government, fiscal responsibility, individual liberty and individual responsibility, strong national defense, and strong, stable families. Fairness and equality do not, and cannot, belong to just one party label.

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.

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.