http://www.twincities.com/ci_18830566?nclick_check=1

Glitter flies at State Fair amid battle over marriage amendment (w/video)

By Andy Greder
agreder@pioneerpress.com

Updated: 09/05/2011 06:10:24 PM CDT

Glitter as a political weapon: The latest skirmish came Sunday when a group calling itself "Glitterati" dumped bags of it on an anti-gay-marriage group's booth at the Minnesota State Fair.

Four people showered the Minnesota for Marriage booth with the shiny stuff as they passed overhead on the Sky Glider ride about 5 p.m., protesting what group organizer Nick Espinosa said was preferential treatment by Fair officials. Espinosa's group said the Fair declined registration attempts by the gay-marriage-rights group Minnesotans United for All Families.

Both sides have descended on the Fair to stake sides on a 2012 constitutional amendment proposal to define marriage as an institution between a man and a woman.

"Where's our booth? Equality for all!" shouted the unidentified people in a video posted on YouTube.

Espinosa, whose group claims previously throwing glitter on presidential candidates Michele Bachmann and Newt Gingrich, said the Fair initially declined registration attempts by both Minnesota for Marriage and Minnesotans United for All Families. That changed just after the Fair opened when Minnesota for Marriage announced that it had a spot.

Espinosa said the release came as a "shock."

"We think that's preferential treatment, and we are pushing, advocating for equality," said Espinosa, of Minneapolis.

event one opened up.

Both groups initially called to get a booth and were told none was available. But apparently only Minnesota for Marriage registered for a booth in the 

On about Aug. 30, Minnesota for Marriage received a recent booth vacancy, said Jim Sinclair, the Fair's deputy general manager.

Minnesotans United for All Families did receive permission to disseminate its information at other political booths, Sinclair said.

In the YouTube video, those staffing the anti-gay-marriage booth appeared not to notice the glitter blitz.

FRANKEN DESTOYS FOCUS ON THE FAMILY WITNESS, EXPOSES MISUSE OF HHS STUDY | During this morning’s Senate DOMA hearings, Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) destroyed Focus on the Family’s Tom Minnery’s argument that children are better off with opposite-sex parents by demonstrating how Minnery misrepresented an HHS study. The study — which Minnery cited to oppose marriage equality — actually found that children do best in two-parent households, regardless of the parents’ gender. Watch it: