42 days: Robbie

This post is a guest post for the 42 days series. Learn more here!

I spent a weekend in Minneapolis, recently. This was the first time back for me, after moving out of the state two months ago. While in the city, I spent a day in Uptown with an old friend; we walked around Lake Calhoun, had a nice dinner at Stella’s, and enjoyed a few drinks at William’s. There was one theme that was continually present though the course of the day, an overwhelming number of people and yard signs bearing the “VOTE NO” logo. I was incredibly surprised by the amount of visible resistance against this ballot initiative. Having spent four years in the Twin Cities going to UofM, I am well aware of how LGBT friendly the area is and I knew that this amendment would not be a guarantee for those that support it. What I did not expect was to see such open support against this bigotry on a sign in nearly every front yard I drove by. That weekend brought hope to my heart. The state that I came to age in, found myself in, and gained the confidence to finally come out in appears to have my back.

One thought stuck in my mind after seeing such amazing support for LGBT people, this hateful amendment is a vote for defining a marriage as a union between one man and one woman. If (read as: “when”) it gets voted down in November, only half the battle has been won. Gay and lesbian men and women still won’t have the rights to legally be joined with the person they love.

Right now I live in Iowa, one of six states to have legal same sex marriage. Even here, the fight for equality is still being waged. So far three of the State Supreme Court Judges that ruled in favor of equality have been voted out of their positions and an additional one of the judges is up for election this year. This goes to show that, even when it appears that equality has been achieved, there will always be people trying to fight against it.  

I’m proud to have called Minnesota home for my college years. In a way, it still is my home away from home. I love the state and trust that, when equality is brought to a vote there, Minnesotans will do the right thing and show what it really means to be “Minnesota Nice.”

My name is Robbie and I am an Engineering Alumnus of the University of Minnesota. I am also gay. I now live in Iowa, after spending four years in Minneapolis for school.

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