Jan 25
JCRC Opposes Minnesota Marriage Amendment
2012 at 14:47 pm posted by admin
The Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas (JCRC) board of directors voted without dissent on October 18th to oppose the proposed amendment to the Minnesota Constitution (“marriage amendment”), which would recognize marriage only as a union between a man and a woman. The marriage amendment is slated to be on the ballot on November 6, 2012. What follows is additional information about the marriage amendment, the JCRC’s board resolution opposing the marriage amendment, and additional information about how you can become involved in defeating the marriage amendment in fall 2012.
What exactly is the Marriage Amendment?
Though Minnesota state law already restricts civil marriage to one man and one woman, and does not recognize same sex marriages, the Minnesota State Legislature voted in the 2011 Legislature Session to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot in 2012 to enshrine current statutory restrictions on marriage equality into our State’s Constitution. Specifically, on November 6, 2012, voters will be asked to vote yes or no to the following ballot question: “Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to provide that only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in Minnesota?”
What is the JCRC’s official position on the Marriage Amendment?
On October 18, 2011, the JCRC board of directors voted without dissent to approve the following resolution: “The Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas opposes the passage of the Minnesota Marriage Amendment, scheduled for a vote on the State of Minnesota General Election ballot in November 2012, on the grounds that marriage is a fundamental human right and that the Minnesota Constitution should not be used as a vehicle for restricting rights and civil liberties.”
Why the JCRC opposes the Marriage Amendment?
As the designated public affairs voice of the Jewish community, a core mission of the JCRC is the safeguarding of religious freedom. Given that American Jews are a religious minority, we historically have been well served by both the separation of church and state, as well as the Constitutional protections, which prevent tyranny by the majority. Accordingly, as a matter of principle, the JCRC is opposed to the marriage amendment or any other law which is without a secular legislative purpose and has the primary effect of either advancing or inhibiting religion. See Lemon v. Kurtzman, 403 U.S. 602 (1971). Additionally, because the JCRC agrees with the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Loving v. Virginia that “[m]arriage is one of the “basic civil rights of man,” fundamental to our very existence and survival…” we believe it is wrong to use our state’s constitution to restrict the fundamental human right of GLBTQ Minnesotans to marry the person of their choice. 388 U.S. 1 (1967); See also Perry v. Schwarzenegger, 704 F.Supp.2d 921 (N.D. Cal 2010) (Relying on Loving v. Virginia in striking down California’s anti-marriage equality constitutional amendment. This decision is currently on appeal before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and will likely ultimately be settled by the Supreme Court of the United States of America).
Finally, it is worth noting that the JCRC strives to be a consensus-based organization that speaks to the values of the broader Minnesotan Jewish community. Here, on the issue of gay marriage we know that according to a 2010 Pew Poll, 76% of American Jews favor marriage equality, which is more than any other religious group polled by Pew. While we do not have polling data on the attitudes of Minnesotan Jews on this issue, the fact that the JCRC’s board of directors approved its resolution opposing the marriage amendment without dissent demonstrates that the attitudes of Minnesotan Jews are not substantially different than other American Jews. For these reasons, the JCRC is proud to be one of the first 100 organizations and businesses to join Minnesotans United for Marriage, the official coalition standing up in united opposition to the marriage amendment.
As a nonprofit how can the JCRC legally oppose the Marriage Amendment?
Federal tax law only prohibits nonprofits such as the JCRC from supporting or opposing candidates for office. As a 501(c)(3), however, the JCRC is allowed to lobby in support or opposition to legislation, as well as ballot measures such as the proposed marriage amendment.
How can I help the JCRC defeat the Marriage Amendment?
Check out Minnesotans United for All Families website: www.mnunited.org Here you can learn more about the issues, contribute to the effort, and take the “No” pledge. Please also feel free to contact JCRC and Minnesotans United for All Families board member Leah Solo at leah.solo@hrc.org or 507-351-0961.