To Have And To Hold: Ten Years of Marriage Equality in Minnesota exhibit opens

ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – 2023 marks ten years since same sex marriage was legalized in Minnesota.

The Olmsted County History Center is commemorating the passage in its exhibit called To Have and to Hold: Ten Years of Marriage Equality in Minnesota.

Although same sex marriage was signed into law in Minnesota in 2013, the fight for marriage equality began back in the 1970′s.

Two Minnesota men tried to apply for a marriage license but were denied. They challenged this and the case was brought to the supreme court, but the court blocked it so they weren’t able to get married.

Ever since then, more and more people filed lawsuits and continued the battle for marriage equality in Minnesota until 2013.

The curator of the exhibit Jenna Collins dug through our state’s legal library to get information. She also reached out to LGBT+ community members to add their stories and thoughts to the project.

”After gay marriage was legalized here, over 100 couples got married in that first year here in Olmsted County so this really did affect our community and LGBTQ people are here, and this is their story,” Collins said.

The exhibit is up until the end of the year. It’s right at the entrance of the History Center. Admission is free for everyone from June-August.