A vote in Minnesota next month threatens to ban gay marriage and dampen Augustus' own wedding plans.
With a constitutional amendment on same-sex marriages up for the vote in Minnesota next month, WNBA player Seimone Augustus has decided to take a stand against the motion.
The Olympic gold medalist is engaged to her girlfriend LaTaya Varner and wants to make sure the couple will be able to walk down the aisle in May and enjoy the same rights given to heterosexual couples.
"I felt like it was the perfect time for me, being on a platform where I can make a change with my voice and my situation," Augustus told The Associated Press. "Maybe inspire someone else to come out and be comfortable with themselves. Or maybe someone else's parents will see my parents saying that it's OK to be with your child and love your child unconditionally regardless of your sexual preference."
Augustus, who came out to her family in high school, hopes that the move will inspire others to come out, speak up and understand that couples have a right to love each other no matter what gender they may prefer.
The Associated Press writes:
"Regardless of what happens with the November vote, an official marriage in Minnesota almost certainly won't happen. State law already makes gay marriage illegal, and the couple has discussed traveling a few hours south to Iowa for the official exchanging of vows.
But a constitutional ban on gay marriage would signal to them that the dream of marriage equality in Varner's home state is nowhere near as close to a reality as they hoped.
Leaders of Minnesota for Marriage, the group pushing for the constitutional ban, have said they're not trying to keep loving couples apart. Instead, they say they want the strongest possible legal protection for what they call traditional marriage, between a man and a woman."
Read the entire story here.
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(Photo: AP Photo/Jim Mone)
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