DFL Gov. Mark Dayton is leaving Minnesota Thursday to speak to a group that solicits and spends money on gay rights issues.
Dayton, who signed a law legalizing same-sex marriage last year, will address the Gill Action's Political OutGiving conference in Los Angeles on Friday, said Katharine Tinucci, his re-election campaign manager.
Founder Tim Gill, a computer software entrepreneur, has given more than $120,000 to Minnesota political causes and candidates that support gay marriage and gay rights since last year. He has given nearly equal amounts to Republican and Democratic candidates but gave the most Minnesota DFL party organizations.
Gill Action, the group he founded, has helped others' steer their donations to Minnesota politicians who supported same-sex marriage. Last year, state House Democrats and Republicans who voted to legalize marriage pulled in significantly more campaign donations than they had in previous years.
Tinucci said the Los Angeles conference will honor officials, "who made progress on the marriage issue."
Although the conference will include mega-donors to gay rights causes, Tinucci said Dayton does not have any planned fundraisers in Los Angeles.
He will be out of the state for about 24 hours, she said.
Photo: The 2013 Capitol event where Gov. Mark Dayton signed into law a measure to legalize same-sex marriage in Minnesota.
