Gay GOP MN Lawmaker to Vote Against Marriage Equality

Openly gay Minnesota State Senator Paul Koering has announced that he intends to vote against a bill in that state’s legislature that would create gender neutral marriage laws, thus creating marriage equality for LGBT Minnesotans.

Sen. Koering has stated that he feels that the state of Minnesota has bigger problems to face than marriage equality and, I guess, than LGBT equal rights under the law.  Moreover, the Senator is quoted as saying:

“I think some gay activists will be upset with me for this, but sometimes I think an agenda is pushed so far and so fast that people have no alternative but to push back.”

And to prove it, State Senator Koering has made it clear that he intends to push back against this “gay agenda”.

Wow, what a profile in courage.   Brave of the Senator, who represents a staunchly conservative district where he faced stiff primary opposition for his position on LGBT rights in his last election, to lead the charge to stifle this overly aggressive gay “agenda”.

I guess a person should vote his or her conscience on such things.  But I have a hard time believing that the Senator’s conscience is truly worried about backlash (as he seems to be stating) to the point that he feels it necessary to preemptively thwart LGBT equality under the law.   

Then again, maybe his conscience is bothering him: the part of his conscience that desires, at all costs, to be re-elected and to continue to receive all the perks of privilege that a legislator gets while denying the basics of equality that others like him long for.

(Image courtsey of Minnesota State Legislature Web Site)

Comments

[Jono]

Nothing worse than someone who eats their own.
If he was so worried abstain from the vote - to vote against it, that's fucked. Screams old school Mattachine Society.

[corrective_unconscious]

I will steadfastly refuse to condemn the gay GOP legislator until we have heard from the Log Uncle Tom Cabin organization. It would be unseemly to pre-judge a queer quisling in any way.

Also, he may not be voting this way just because he wants to get re-elected. That is an unfounded assertion. For example, he could have voted that way out of a deeply and long held belief that gay people should be treated as less than. Open you minds, people!

[corrective_unconscious]

Now that his future mugshot for soliciting sex from an undercover (male, natch) cop in a public park has loaded in my browser, I do feel compelled to note he looks like a cross between Jason Alexander and Kevin Spacey. "Not that there's anything wrong with that."

[Justin]

How can anyone vote against giving themself equal rights...this idea not only disturbs me, but makes me question the senators mental stability.

Senator Koering, You are absolutely correct! Your state does have some very big problems facing it. Might I point out to you senator that one of the greatest injustices our nation has and will ever face is intolerance/prejudice/discrimination.(Feel free to argue that one all you want...but the fact is, if a governing body denies it citizens a "basic freedom" while allowing other citizens to partake freely, then you cannot call yourself a "free" nation. We don't get to pick and choose who gets rights and who doesn't. As long as the actions are within the confines of our legal system then we should be granted the same opportunities.

As a gay man yourself, I find it an abomination to your own character that you would chose not to favor equal rights for your fellow Minnesotans and yourself. Again, I mostly definitely will be questioning your mental state as this debate continues. You, your supporters, and your constituents should be ashamed of your behavior. Especially, if this move is political in nature as I believe it to be.

I would wager that you fear losing your chance at re-election if your conservative district discovers that you let the gays get married...what an abomonation that would be to them and to your career.

Lastly, If you infact believe, as stated above, that gays are of a lesser value that straights in our society not only do I have serious doubts about your education but strong concerns about you representing anyone in this country as a political figure.

You are not serving the greater good of this nation Senator Koering and I sincerly hope that you're constituents have the education and the will to vote you out.

[HypnoToad72]

If this were about "civil unions" and not trampling on pre-established verbiage instead...

I think I understand where this guy is coming from.

I am for civil unions, but don't expect me to hijack any religion's terms and cultural significances. That too is grossly disrespectful and little annoyances like that have to work both ways. I know more Christians tolerant of gays than I do gays being tolerance of Christians. It's sad when you think about it, but is free thought tolerated?

GLBT people claim tolerance and this and that, but in action they only helped Roseanne make a stinging comment (last year) that she needn't have apologized for.

[corrective_unconscious]

> I am for civil unions, but don't expect me to hijack any religion's terms and cultural significances.

Dear lying moron: Marriage is a secular contract conferring secular rights. Filing jointly is not a religious ritual, you loon. Your bigot church/cult (Mormon, fundie talibangelical, whatever,) may limit what ceremonies you bigots have on that Church's or cult's properties to ones that fit your bigoted world view...so long as that property is not a place of public accommodation. Hope this helps, you cretin-bigot.

[Greg]

There is nothing more baffling and stupid than a gay person who opposes his own equality. If gay republicans are morally opposed to gay marriage, then perhaps they should be morally opposed to their own sexual desires and ask God for forgiveness. Perhaps, also, God will cure them of their disease, and I don't think that disease is called homsexuality; it's called hypocrisy and self-loathing political idiocy. Further, if gay republicans think gay marriage should be illegal, perhaps their being gay should be illegal, too, if they are truly going to believe that gay marriage is so evil. How, then, can anything gay be good?

[tinman]

How do you spell Judas? K o e.....

[Cspk]

"That's a good boy...now lemmee wipe my shoes on that turncoat of yers..."