The Supreme Court's sweeping decision to make gay marriage legal nationwide is a bittersweet victory for Richard Carlbom. Carlbom led efforts to defeat a Minnesota gay marriage ban in 2012.
The man who led the successful effort to legalize gay marriage in Minnesota has taken a top job with a group pushing to make it legal in more U.S. states. New York-based Freedom to Marry raises funds and works on legal strategies for same-sex marriage drives nationwide.
No single person ever became the public face of the successful drive for gay marriage in Minnesota, but the man who gets the most credit from his allies is Richard Carlbom, the former mayor of St. Joseph.