Recently I wrote to Mayor R.T. Rybak of Minneapolis, asking him to begin issuing same-sex marriage licenses in Mpls. Here is the response I received from a representative today:
Mayor Rybak received your e-mail and asked that I respond personally. He is very supportive of the issues of equality that surround gay marriage. Three weeks ago on National Freedom to Marry Day (February 12th) he issued a proclamation honoring the domestic partnership registration ordinance that the City of Minneapolis passed in 1991 and participated in a celebration that morning for over 30 couples who were registering their partnerships with the City. This is a matter of fairness and doing what's right in a way that honors the dignity and human rights of all Minneapolis' citizens, and recognizing the incredible contributions that GLBT people make in every single neighborhood in this city.
Unlike San Francisco, the City of Minneapolis is not the governmental body that issues marriage licenses. All marriage licenses are issued by Hennepin County, so the Mayor does not have the authority to begin issuing licenses to GLBT applicants. He is exploring ways that he can support raising this issue like Mayor Daley in Chicago has done, since Chicago also does not issue marriage certificates, it's done at the County level.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this important human rights issue.
Sincerely,
Douglas Gardner
Director of Constituent Services
Office of Mayor R.T. Rybak
Go Rybak! I'm writing back to encourage him to make a Daley-style statement. I plan on writing to the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners on this issue as well, and encourage others to do so. The addition of Portland should make it less of a hurdle for other major cities like Minneapolis. I believe we're one of the more likely largish cities (or counties) to follow, along with Seattle/King, Chicago/Cook, and other California cities.