The St. Paul City Council overwhelmingly approved a resolution Wednesday opposing an amendment on the Nov. 6 ballot that would ban same-sex marriage.

Six of the seven City Council members sponsored the resolution so it passed easily. Only Council Member Don Bostrom didn't sign on to the proposal.

Bostrom was absent and didn't vote on the resolution. "It's not my issue," he said in explaining why he wasn't a sponsor.

The five-paragraph resolution notes that St. Paul "has long recognized the importance of equality for all citizens and has been a leader in supporting human rights, including the adoption in 1990 of an ordinance making it illegal to discriminate based on sexual orientation."

The city also adopted a domestic partnership registry in 2009. With the passage of the resolution, the council joined the coalition Minnesotans United for All Families. The group is opposing the amendment.

The Nov. 6 ballot question 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 a marriage in Minnesota?"

If approved, the amendment would add a new section to the constitution reading, "Only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as marriage in Minnesota."

ROCHELLE OLSON