By Andrew Harmon on Advocate.com

Young Republicans in Minnesota are among the grassroots opposition to a November ballot measure that would ban gay marriage under the state constitution — one of two such initiatives (the other being in North Carolina) that are slated for next year.

Politics in Minnesota profiles two young GOP advocates against the amendment, including Jake Loesch, a 23-year-old former legislative assistant to a Republican state senator who now serves on the communications team of the pro-marriage equality group Minnesotans United for All Families:

“Being opposed to this amendment — or being pro-marriage equality in general — has a natural fit within the GOP’s ideals of limited government and freedom and personal responsibility,” Loesch said. “The Constitution should treat everyone equally. This amendment would do just the polar opposite of that.”

Loesch believes, however, that differences between older and younger Republicans on the issue of gay marriage can be overblown. “I don’t doubt the premise that there [are] more young Republicans in my generation who are going to be opposed to this amendment,” he said. “But I also think that there’s a fairly silent group of older conservatives … who agree as well with us, but they probably just don’t speak about it as much.”

Read the article here.

Tags: same sex marriage