Minnesota Freedom for Same Sex Marriage

Gay Couples Claim 1 in 3 Marriage Licenses

Since same-sex couples have been able to wed in Minnesota, 1 in 3 marriage licenses have been issued to same-sex couples. Minnesota was the 12th U.S. state to legalize gay marriage and at least 1,640 same-sex couples applied to be married according to the Associated Press.

Sen. Scott Dibble, DFL-Minneapolis and a sponsor of the bill passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Mark Dayton in May, states “There’s an excitement out there right now. I’ve been going to so many weddings lately it’s like I’m two years out of college again.”

The Associated Press obtained information from 83 of 87 counties. Below are the statistics they found:

Demand was heaviest in the metro area, with three of every four licenses for gay marriages issued in Hennepin and Ramsey counties, which make up about 32 percent of Minnesota’s population.
At least 1,433 licenses were issued to gay couples in the 12 counties where most voters opposed a 2012 attempt to ban same-sex marriage in Minnesota’s constitution. One county in that category — St. Louis — wouldn’t provide a license breakdown.
In 29 of the responding counties, no gay couples sought licenses. All are counties where voters favored the constitutional ban. They account for about 7 percent of the state’s population.
There was at least one application for a gay marriage in 40 counties where the constitutional ban had majority support. Clay County, where Moorhead is the population center, had the most with 31.
Statewide, almost 3,600 licenses were issued to opposite-sex couples from Aug. 1 through the final days of the month, when the AP sought the information.