SAINT PAUL, Minn. — An openly gay lawmaker in Minnesota said he will take the lead in the state Senate on a bill to legalize same-sex marriage during the 2013 legislative session.
State Sen. Scott Dibble (DFL-Minneapolis) said marriage equality proponents are slated to wait at least a month or two into the upcoming session before they start to push it hard.
Dibble said Wednesday that Democrats taking power in the legislature next week plan to focus early in the session on what he called “kitchen-table issues” of improving the economy and creating jobs.
But, he said, marriage equality advocates in the legislature want a vote in 2013.
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Dibble also indicated that he believes allowing same-sex couples to marry is a kitchen-table issue as well. Another Democratic state senator, John Marty, has pushed for a same-sex marriage vote this year, but said he’ll let Dibble take the lead.
A proposed constitutional amendment to define marriage as between one man and one woman, strengthening existing state law which already bans same-sex marriage, was defeated by Minnesota voters in November.
