Log Cabin Republicans of Minnesota

The following is written by Charles Moran, a spokesperson for Log Cabin Republicans.

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. Continue Reading »

MINNEAPOLIS, May 7, 2009-Log Cabin Republicans of Minnesota lend our support to  House File 1198, a bill to reduce harassment and bullying in our public schools, including based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression.  Right now the Minnesota law requires a model policy covering harassment and violence, not bullying and intimidation, and incorporates the categories of sexual orientation and gender identity only by reference to a different chapter, not explicitly.

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.

Log Cabin Friends

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/ ) Continue Reading »

MINNEAPOLIS, MN 5 April 2009 – Log Cabin Republicans of Minnesota (LCR-MN) applauds the Iowa Supreme Court’s ruling granting same-sex couples the freedom to marry. The unanimous decision was written by Justice Mark Cady, who was appointed to the court by former four-term Republican Governor Terry Branstad. While LCR-MN believes that the best approach to equality is through the legislature, Friday’s decision nonetheless marks another significant milestone in the ongoing fight for civil marriage equality, this time in the Heartland of America in a neighboring state. Continue Reading »

25 February 2009 Minneapolis, MN
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. Continue Reading »