You don't have to go through all the BS to be with someone if they're dying or they're injured or they're hurt." "You can be there with your loved one if there was a catastrophic event or something. "If somebody gets sick or somebody gets hurt, you can go to the hospital," he said. "It's a conservative mindset," she said, "but we're seeing that, one heart at a time, minds are changing, so we're happy about that."Īs he watched the Pride parade yesterday, Tony Morrison of Robbinsdale said it's important to remember that marriage is less about cake and flowers than about being there for one's spouse when there's a crisis. Schroeder said things are getting better for gay people in rural Minnesota, though gradually. In 2012, the unsuccessful attempt to establish a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage got nearly two-thirds support in Kanabec County, where Ogilvie is located. "And I was just kind of shocked that it finally went through, and just really happy for everyone involved."Īlso celebrating the ruling at Twin Cities Pride was Barb Schroeder of Ogilvie, Minn.Ī decade ago, Schroeder helped start the east central Minnesota chapter of PFLAG - Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays - when her son came out in middle school. "Just after our test I went on Facebook and I saw it," she said. Cassity, who is studying to be a paralegal, said she was in class Friday when she heard the news. Two women who got married - Kaylie Cassity, 19, and Ali Johnson, 29 - said they are overjoyed at the ruling. "In forming this civil commitment, two people become something greater than they once were." "Your commitment embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice and family," she said.