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  Tough Guys on Gay Marriage; Gov Ventura Weighs In
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ContributorGerald Farinas 
Last EditedGerald Farinas  Mar 23, 2004 10:17pm
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CategoryNews
MediaNewspaper - Boston Globe
News DateTuesday, March 23, 2004 06:00:00 AM UTC0:0
DescriptionTough Guys on Gay Marriage; Gov Ventura Weighs In
The Boston Globe

Jesse Ventura crushed gargantuan opponents in the pro wrestling ring, served as a Navy SEAL in the Vietnam War, and overcame daunting odds to become governor of Minnesota as a third-party candidate. Now, the cigar-chomping, tough-talking Ventura is enlisting in the latest culture war: the fight over gay marriage. "Love is bigger than government," Ventura, taking a break from his studies as a fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, said at a State House news conference yesterday. "Government should not have the right to tell you who you fall in love with and who you want to spend your life with."

Ventura was invited to speak by gay rights activists, along with fellow tough guy A. Joseph DeNucci, a former prize fighter who is now Massachusetts auditor. DeNucci admonished lawmakers who hope to ban gay marriage by amending the Massachusetts Constitution, saying he knows from a childhood of being stereotyped for his Italian roots how painful discrimination can be. Recalling a closeted homosexual opponent who was one of his toughest foes in the ring, DeNucci, a former state legislator, said, "They think all gay guys are sissies. This guy was a great fighter. Actually, he was a deadly guy."

"I'm a tough guy, I chew on cigars, I live life to the fullest," Ventura said. "But I don't like it when I see human rights violated. We are not the Hetero States of America. America should be inclusive, not separating."
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