Minnesota becomes 12th state to legalize same-sex marriage

Following Rhode Island and Delaware, Minnesota is now the 12th state to legalize same-sex marriage after a vote on Monday.

According to USAToday, Governor Mark Dayton’s signature will make Minnesota the first state in the Midwest to make same-sex marriage legal through a legislative vote.

According to GrandForksHerald.com on April 18, 2013, Gov. Dayton met with hundreds of Minnesota citizens to speak of his support of same-sex marriage, saying people have “a constitutional right and an American right to marry who you love."

ABCNews.Go.Com reported that the bill is different in that “it pertains to ‘civil marriage,’ whether in same-sex or opposite-sex marriages.”

Former Minnesota Senator Michele Bachmann proposed a ban on same-sex marriage in 2005, however the proposal failed. After the vote, Bachman tweeted in support of traditional marriage: “I’m proud to have introduced the original traditional marriage amendment, and I thank all Minnesotans who have worked so hard on this issue.”

Because of the bill, gay and lesbian couples can marry beginning on August 1, 2013.