John Marty's Agenda for Minnesota's Future: Gay & Lesbian Rights
Vision
John Marty has been a consistent leader on all human rights issues and
is committed to equal rights and fair treatment for every Minnesotan.
While Minnesota has made significant strides in fairness for gay,
lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, discrimination and violence
based on homophobia continue. There is still much work to do. As
Governor, John Marty will continue to be a strong advocate and leader
for values and laws which promote acceptance.
Record
- Endorsed for Governor by the DFL Lesbian/Gay Caucus.
- Endorsed for Governor, DFL Feminist Caucus.
- Authored legislation against bias and hate crimes to give
victims a chance for redress in civil court.
- Co-authored the "It's Time Minnesota" human rights bill and has
been a consistent supporter of all human rights bills since he
has been in the state Legislature.
- Authored legislation doubling the statute of limitations for
human rights violations cases - vetoed by Arne Carlson in 1992.
John Marty's Agenda for Gays and Lesbians
Families
Families can be described as people who share a bond of love and
commitment. These relationships should be valued and supported in our
society. As Governor, John will:
- Work to extend domestic partner benefits to public employees,
including health care and other employment benefits. John will
also encourage and work with the private sector to adopt similar
plans.
- Support the rights of same-sex couples to co-parent, become
foster parents or jointly adopt children. As in any adoption,
the best interests of the child must always come first.
- Find solutions to the isolation, high rate of suicide and
exploitation of, youth who are gay, lesbian or discovering their
sexual identity.
Crime
Like all Minnesotans, gay and lesbian people are affected by and
concerned about crime. They are also singled out as targets of crime
because of their sexual orientation. As Governor, John will:
- Double the statute of limitations for discrimination complaints
to ensure that victims of discrimination have the time to heal
or compile proof in order to file a complaint.
- Strengthen training requirements for hate crimes to increase
local law enforcement officials' and prosecutors' awareness of
and sensitivity to issues in the gay and lesbian community.
- Support and fund non-violent conflict resolution programs in the
schools to teach respect and teach that violence and degradation
are not acceptable.
- Support public education efforts to make clear that crimes
against people based on race, age, sex, disability or sexual
orientation, will not be tolerated and will be punished to the
fullest extent of the law.
AIDS and Health Care
John Marty applauds the work of the Gay and Lesbian community and
non-profit organizations such as the Minnesota AIDS Project in
addressing the on-going AIDS epidemic. Government must also do its
share. As Governor, John will:
- Direct resources toward timely, honest, community-specific AIDS
education to Minnesota students and at-risk groups.
- Strengthen and expand AIDS prevention programs.
- Push for a single-payer health care system that guarantees all
Minnesotans comprehensive coverage.
Basic Rights
Basic human rights will never be negotiable in the Marty
administration. John's parents were activists for justice and the
importance of civil and human rights has always been central to his
life. He has seen friends hurt by discrimination and attacked
violently because of their sexual orientation. As Governor, John will:
- Work to overturn all laws based on prejudice and discrimination
in the state criminal code. For gays and lesbians and people
with disabilities, some laws are offensive and invade their
private lives. As Governor, John would work to repeal all such
laws.
- Ensure all appointments reflect the diversity of the state and
are people who will aggressively oppose all discrimination based
on sexual orientation.
Prepared by Minnesotans for Marty, 2161 University Avenue, St. Paul, MN
55114 Telephone/Fax: (612)644-5775/644-4131
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