Former governor of Minnesota, actor and pro-wrestler Jesse Ventura has joined the campaign against a proposed constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between one man and one woman in Minnesota.
"The constitution should not be used to oppress people. The constitution is used to protect people. Love is by far bigger than government can ever be," said Ventura, who has been married to his wife, Terry, for 37 years.
In this video posted on YouTube Friday by Minnesotans United for All Families, Ventura and his wife firmly declare their support for same-sex marriage as they urge other Minnesotans to vote "no" this November.
"Government should not be telling people to fall in love with…to cohabit with. We're supposed to be the home of the brave, land of the free," said Ventura, who served as governor from 1999 to 2003. "This is not a Democrat issue, this is not a Republican issue… which means it affects each and every one of us regardless of whatever our political persuasion is."
In May 2011, the Minnesota State Legislature voted to put a constitutional amendment on the 2012 ballots in Minnesota that will read: “Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to provide that only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as marriage in Minnesota?”
According to a recent survey conducted by Public Policy Polling, the amendment will probably "go down to the wire," as 48 percent of voters are said to support the ban while 47 percent oppose it.
"What if one day someone decided to take what's really important to you and put it on a bill and try to get it to change the constitution so that you could never even have a chance to get it back?... If you don't stand up for their rights, you're going to lose some of your rights too," Terry said, appealing to the voters who may choose "yes" later this year.
"How in the world can two people professing how much they love and care for each other and that they want to be with each other forever -- how can that be bad? No matter who you are," she said.
The Venturas are not the first straight allies who have come forward in support of the LGBT community. Click through this slideshow to see other examples of straight celebs who have taken a stand:
