The Vote No Campaign: Fighting Against an Amendment
In 2012, Minnesota legislators proposed a constitutional amendment to define marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman. Similar amendments had passed in 32 other states.
Minnesotans United for All Families, alongside LGBTQ+ organizations, religious groups, and political leaders opposed the amendment in the “Vote No” campaign.
The campaign organized rallies, events, and engaged in door-to-door canvassing. Unscripted phone conversations were crucial to the campaign. The campaign’s efforts paid off, and the amendment was not added to the constitution. Minnesota was the first state in the country to reject such a measure.
Minnesotans United for All Families, alongside LGBTQ+ organizations, religious groups, and political leaders opposed the amendment in the “Vote No” campaign.
The campaign organized rallies, events, and engaged in door-to-door canvassing. Unscripted phone conversations were crucial to the campaign. The campaign’s efforts paid off, and the amendment was not added to the constitution. Minnesota was the first state in the country to reject such a measure.
Vote No supporters at a demonstration at the University of Minnesota, 2012. Photo by Renee Jones Schneider for the Star Tribune.
Same - Sex Marriage in Local Religious Communities
Top: First Congregational United Church of Christ on 8th Street in Moorhead, summer 2023.
Right: Moorhead’s Trinity Lutheran, one of Clay County’s largest congregations, performed their first same-sex wedding on September 10, 2020 with the union of Willard Hiebert and Pastor Steve Olson. Both men were in their 70s. Courtesy of Red River Rainbow Seniors. |
Different faiths take different stances on recognizing same-sex marriages among their parishioners, and some of those stances have changed over time.
Many religious communities, including Catholics, Muslims, and many fundamentalist Protestant congregations, maintain a traditional view of marriage as only between a man and a woman. The last two decades, however, have seen many faith communities extend their definition of marriage to include same-sex couples. The Unitarian Universalist Church was the first in Fargo-Moorhead to support same-sex marriage. Moorhead’s First Congregational Church was an early “open and affirming” congregation. While some Lutheran congregations have been hesitant to expand their marriage offerings, Faith Lutheran and St. Mark’s in Fargo were early congregations who welcomed LGBTQ+ members into their pews. When Minnesota legalized same-sex marriage on August 1, 2013, 18 couples were legally wed at the Clay County Courthouse in a midnight ceremony. Some of those couples were already married in religious ceremonies, and two grooms were ordained ministers. 
|
Confirmation Denied: Standing Up for Equality
|
In mid-October 2012, 17 year old Lennon Cihak, who had recently come out as gay to family and friends, altered a “Vote Yes” sign in order to advocate for marriage equality. He posted this photo to his Facebook page.
His priest at Assumption Catholic Church in Barnesville was made aware of the sign and refused to confirm Lennon with the rest of his class. News outlets around the country picked up Lennon’s story. He received letters of support from coast to coast. Lennon never did get confirmed. He currently lives in Los Angeles and works in the music industry. Lennon Cihak holds up the sign that he photographed and posted on his Facebook page. Photo by Dave Wallis for The Forum. |
|
"We are equal in God’s sight, and …we should all be free to love who we choose...."
- Vicki Schmidt |
"LB: And, I’m Catholic as well. We were all Catholic, to be honest with you; every single one of us on the bench. And there is a conflict between the Catholic Church and this decision. And my view, because I am Catholic, I am a practicing Catholic, but I felt like this is different. It’s my job. I’m not doing this in a church ceremony. This is a civil union. It is a contract between people. It has nothing to do with religion. I don’t give people blessings. That’s not what it is. It is just entirely a different thing in my view.
ML: Hundred percent agree, and that’s what separation of church and state stands for." - Lisa Borgen and Michelle Lawson |
Vote No Moorhead
The Vote No campaign focused its efforts on college towns, like Moorhead. About every other day, 6-12 volunteers gathered at the First Congregational Church in Moorhead or the FM Pride Collective offices just across the street to make phone calls. These volunteers engaged potential voters in meaningful conversations, sharing their own stories. Organizers also led get-out-the-vote initiatives at Concordia College and Minnesota State University Moorhead.
The results surpassed Minnesotans United’s expectations. Although the amendment passed in Clay County by a narrow margin of only one percent (50.5%), the citizens of Moorhead voted overwhelmingly against it, with 54.8% casting their ballots for “No.” Statewide, Vote No emerged victorious, securing 52.6% of the votes.
The results surpassed Minnesotans United’s expectations. Although the amendment passed in Clay County by a narrow margin of only one percent (50.5%), the citizens of Moorhead voted overwhelmingly against it, with 54.8% casting their ballots for “No.” Statewide, Vote No emerged victorious, securing 52.6% of the votes.
"You know, this night didn’t come about out of dreams and wishes. It came about with people working hard and hitting the phones and the pavement, calling their representatives and doing what needed to be done."
- Mary Lee Clarens
- Mary Lee Clarens
"I’m innately curious. Ever since I was a child, I have questioned everything. I was also raised to stand up for what I believe. When I saw the church encouraging members of the congregation to take the signs, that didn’t sit right with me and I knew I had to stand up and say something. Love is a powerful emotion and feeling, and it should be celebrated and embraced, not rejected. Everybody is deserving of love!"
- Lennon Cihak
- Lennon Cihak
"I’m a pretty positive, upbeat person, but that experience of working to defeat the amendment didn’t leave me feeling positive. Even though we defeated it, I felt like we shouldn’t have had to do all that work... Another reflection I had was, maybe all that negative experience was worth it. Because now we hadn’t just defeated the amendment, we had gotten something out of it... But, finally, on this day, there was something to celebrate for me."
- Eric Espinoza
- Eric Espinoza
Defeating an Amendment: 2012 Election Results
The amendment lost narrowly in the state as a whole, Yes 1,399,916 to No 1,510,434. Clay County voted in support of the amendment, Yes 14,652 to 13,903, on the strength of the rural district vote. Of the rural precincts, only Viding Township voted no, Yes 29, No 30.
However, Moorhead voted No, 9825 to 8369. Only four of the city’s precincts fourteen precincts voted yes. The strongest no vote came from the precincts in and around Concordia College and Minnesota State University-Moorhead.
However, Moorhead voted No, 9825 to 8369. Only four of the city’s precincts fourteen precincts voted yes. The strongest no vote came from the precincts in and around Concordia College and Minnesota State University-Moorhead.
