As thousands of people rallied at Minnesota’s state Capitol on Thursday, the Minnesota House passed a historic measure legalizing same-sex marriage, positioning to become the 12th state to stand behind marriage equality after Delaware and Rhode Island passed similar measures this month.

Splitting largely along party lines, the House voted 75-59 to allow same-sex couples to be legally married in the state.  The State Senate will take up the legislation on Monday or  even as early as Saturday, according to party spokesmen.

Upon passage, the bill will then head to Democratic Governor Mark Dayton, who has publicly supported legalizing same-sex marriage in his home state and has been pressing Republican lawmakers for their support.

An amendment offered by Republican Rep. David FitzSimmons offers protection for religious groups, ensuring that churches cannot be fined, punished or stripped of special status for refusing to recognize same-sex marriages.

While Minnesota for Marriage, a group opposed to the bill, held up bright pink signs that read, “Vote no” and prayed outside the state Capitol, supporters of Minnesotans United for All Families wore orange and blue for the vote.

Thursday also marks the first anniversary of President Obama expressing support for same-sex marriage, becoming the first sitting president to do so. In an interview with ABC News, Obama said, “I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.”

Last November, Maine, Maryland and Washington also approved same-sex marriage while voters in Minnesota rejected a constitutional amendment to place a ban on same-sex marriage. After the failure of the amendment, the issue quickly garnered support with the help of a Democratic majority in the Legislature.

Rhode Island approved same-sex marriage on May 2, and Delaware became the most recent state to approve it on Tuesday. Illinois may be the next state to potentially make same-sex marriage legal after the Illinois Senate approving a gay marriage bill in February, and awaits a final vote in the full House.

Same-sex marriage is currently legal in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Iowa, and Washington, D.C.

UPDATE from PFLAG Sioux Falls – for Month Of MAY!!

***THERE WILL BE NO PFLAG IN MAY. IT CAME TO OUR ATTENTION THAT MAY 12TH IS MOTHER’S DAY, AND THE FOLLOWING WEEKEND IS GRADUATION FOR MANY. PLEASE WATCH YOUR EMAIL AND OUR FACEBOOK PAGE FOR AN ANNOUNCEMENT IN THE NEXT WEEK OR TWO. WE PLAN TO HOLD SUMMER MEETINGS THIS YEAR, SO WILL LET YOU KNOW THE TIME AND PLACE. LET YOUR FRIENDS KNOW, TOO!

 Pride at Work is proud to announce that CWA unanimously passed a resolution at their April 2013 Convention supporting our campaign to end transgender exclusions in healthcare coverage!

There was great excitement coming out of our LGBT Labor Leadership Training that happened last week; CWA members took that with them to their convention and got this resolution passed! We must thank our former Co-President, Donna Cartwright, our current Co-President, Shane Larson and many of our other CWA Pride at Work members for their hard work. This resolution speaks to the hard work P@W and our allies have put into our Trans Month of Action and expanding itto an ongoing campaign. We will continue informing all unions of the importance of inclusive health care benefits for our transgender brothers and sisters.

You can see the resolution language below:

EQUAL ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE COVERAGE

CWA opposes all forms of discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of gender
identity, and

Transgender and gender non-conforming people have great difficulty securing affordable,
comprehensive healthcare, and

Many transgender people are denied health insurance when they disclose their transgender
status or transition-related medical history to a potential insurer; and

Most health insurance policies still specifically exclude transgender-related care and
services and

Denial or inaccessibility of healthcare has life-long effects on people’s ability to learn, work,
and care for themselves mentally and physically; and

Currently many private- and public-sector employers and several International Unions
currently provide transgender-inclusive healthcare coverage; and

CWA believes that all union members and staff should have access to affordable,
comprehensive quality healthcare, therefore be it

RESOLVED, that CWA supports public and private trans-inclusive health insurance
coverage; and be it further

RESOLVED CWA opposes exclusions of coverage for transgender individuals, and be it
further

RESOLVED that CWA endorses and supports efforts to remove health insurance
exclusions that prevent transgender people from accessing medically necessary care and to
ensure that quality healthcare coverage is available to everyone, including transgender
people.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                      Contact: HHS Press Office

March 25, 2013                                                                                                                             (202) 690-6343

Statement by HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on LGBT

Health Awareness Week

Shortly after the Affordable Care Act was enacted, President Obama asked me to identify steps we could take at the Department of Health and Human Services to improve the health and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans. As we mark the beginning of the LGBT Health Awareness Week, i am proud to say that we have been working hard to ensure LGBT Americans have the same rights and protections as other Americans.

For example, we have released rules requiring Medicare and Medicaid-participating hospitals to allow visitation rights for same-sex partners. This means LGBT Americans now have the same opportunities as other Americans to be with their families and loved ones when they are sick.

LGBT Americans have experienced – and continue to experience – health disparities and are more likely then other Americans to be uninsured or underinsured. Now, because of the Affordable Care Act, our major national health surveys are beginning to include data on LGBT populations. This will give us the information we need to target and reduce disparities among this group going forward. We have also formed an internal working group to ensure we’re developing and coordinating policies targeted at increasing access to care for LGBT Americans and addressing their special health care needs.

Globally, we are leading efforts to advance a World Health Organization resolution supporting the health of LGBT populations around the world through equal access to health care services and by breaking down stigma and discrimination that create barriers to care.

In addition, like all Americans, LGBT individuals will continue to benefit from the Affordable Care act. Beginning in January 2014, Americans will have access to quality, affordable coverage through the new Health Insurance Marketplace–where they can begin to shop for and easily compare health insurance plans starting in October 2013.

Starting in 2014, Americans will no longer be denied coverage or locked out of the health insurance market just because they are sick or have a per-existing condition. And millions of Americans with private insurance and Medicare already have access to preventative services like blood pressure screening at no cost to them.

You can learn more about the new Marketplace–and sign up for updates about enrollment–by visiting www.HealthCare.gov/Marketplace.

Moving forward, we remain committed to improving the health of all Americans, including LGBT Americans, and we look forward to continuing this work during LGBT Health Awareness Week and beyond.