On Thursday, November 11, 2004, at 12:06 PM, David Strand wrote:
Since Minneapolis has benefited from it's relative tolerance drawing a large number of wealthy, talented, and exceptional gay and lesbian people from around the country, it seems this new migration to Canada may negatively impact Minneapolis and Minnesota long term.
After catching up on my sleep a week ago wensday I spent 4 days in North Dakota with pretty much Canadian stations playing on the radio. Saskatchewan had just become something like the 4th province to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples yet nobody seemed to care... I was tempted to cross the border for an extended vacation!
Not having a long term lover, and knowing the tricks for getting a "same sex" marriage license from Minnesota anyway I came home instead. And given that Minneapolis since 1975 and Minnesota since 1993 have offered essentially the same protections against discrimination as Canada's I'm not too motivated to leave job, health care, and even a home in the 'hood here behind.
I suspect many other gay folks like myself are considering Canada, and after thinking it over a bit will be staying or moving to Minnesota and the other 10 states and numerous cities that protect our human rights. So while a few will flee to Canada, I suspect many more gay folks will be migrating here instead. I expect immigrants and other minorities threatened by republican sanctioned harassment in other areas of the U.S. will seek sanctuary here also. With an international reputation for human rights since enacting our first in the nation Civil Rights Act in 1948 we will continue to be a beacon that will draw a diverse and growing population.
On that North Dakota wandering I cruised by many a Missile silo and the Air Force MPs in their blue Expeditions that looked ready for war ignored my black hatchback with the burned out tailight, and it was only when I entered the Minneapolis city limits that MPD made it an issue. Touring my family's old homesteads I found one was now a county campground with 2 sweat lodges erected that would have driven Minneapolis inspectors nuts... Suffice to say if we let our police and inspections departments harass our new refugees from the red states they'll just continue on to Canada.
hanging on in Hawthorne,
Dyna Sluyter
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