While the Minnesota state Senate yesterday passed same-sex marriage in to law, and every senator present in the debate knew it was going to pass, one Senator in particular was not going to go down without a fight.
Republican state Senator Dan Hall unleashed a vile diatribe upon his colleagues on the Senate floor, claiming same sex marriage “will split our schools, our churches, our towns, our counties, our state. It will hurt businesses and confuse children. More than any single issue has ever done since the civil war.”
Hall also claimed the law “will bring civil disobedience” and “will forever change the fate of family.”
“Do you really want what Europe has? They’re on the verge of civil disaster. Some have said, ‘But don’t you want to be on the right side of history?’ The truth is I’m more concerned about being on the right side of eternity,” Senator Hall proclaimed.
“Dismantling marriage will bring hurt, shame, confrontation and more indoctrination. Forcing others to give you your rights will never end well. It won’t give you the recognition you desire. That which is right can easily be seen by all. Let me say that again: That which is right can easily be seen by all.”
“Marriage is about giving, not taking. It’s about being willing to serve another, giving your affection to no other and, spiritually, marriage is about two becoming one in God’s eyes. A civil union is having a contract to protect yourself from the other that may take advantage of you and legally securing the government and civil benefits that have been reserved for marriage. There are consequences to everything. There will be unintended and, I believe, intended consequences.”
Unsurprisingly, Senator Hall expected his opponents to respond with derision.
“But they’ll call me a bigot, they’ll call me a hater, they’ll spit in my face, like they did a friend of mine last Thursday. There are things in life, members, that are worth standing up for, even to be persecuted for.”
“I have been accused of attacking same-sex marriage because I disagree with the lifestyle. When has disagreeing become an attack? When has taking a stand against something you believe in become a personal attack? Freedom can only be free if we keep our moral compass. If we resolve to strengthen marriage instead of dismantling it. Without strong morals, that which we believe is right or wrong, we lose our freedoms.”
Curiously, Senator Hall’s Twitter account has been “suspended” since late last night.
Thank to Zac Farber at Patch for posting the transcript of Hall’s full speech. Go take a look.