“ Let's remember that a vote for this Amendment is NOT a vote for civil unions. It's a vote to deny the freedom to marry to a whole lot of our fellow Minnesotans because of who they are. And it's a vote to put that limitation on marriage in our Constitution for a long, long time to come.

That said, no one grows up wanting to get civil unioned. No one raises children in the hopes that they'll get civil unioned. And, think about it: would you trade your own marriage for a civil union?

Same-sex couples want to marry for the same reasons as straight couples. When two people get married, they are saying to their friends and family that they love one another, will be committed to one another, and are taking responsibility for each other. They also are asking their community to hold them accountable to that promise.

Also, civil unions are simply not marriage. People get married in order to protect and take care of their partner. Think about having to carry around paperwork in case your loved one is in an accident or in the hospital to prove that you're committed to them.

Our society values marriage, as we recognize the important, stabilizing factor marriage has on a community. Singling out a group of people simply because of who they are and excluding them from the freedom to marry is not how we do things in Minnesota.

Civil unions do not say the same thing as a marriage does. They do not do the same things marriage does. They're not marriage. ”

“ The Marriage Amendment actually does not foreclose debate on civil unions, nor does it prevent the Minnesota Legislature from extending rights or benefits to same-sex couples as it may deem appropriate in the future.

The Marriage Amendment simply protects the institution of Marriage from activist judges and politicians so that all Minnesotans have a voice in ensuring that Marriage remains what it has always been in Minnesota. ”