Minnesota's Big Businesses Quiet on Marriage Ban

Minnesota's top companies are keeping mum on where they stand in the gay marriage fight.

As the state gears up for a voter initiative in 2012 on whether to constitutionally ban marriage equality, the Associated Press sought to find out whether the state's 13 Fortune 500 companies that offer domestic partnership benefits are for or against the proposed ban.

Only one company, St. Jude Medical, said they would publicly oppose the marriage amendment.

"We do not believe the proposed constitutional amendment is in the best interests of economic and jobs growth in Minnesota," Rachel Ellingson, vice president for corporate communications at St. Jude Medical, told the AP. "We believe that it is important for the state to be viewed as inclusive in order to recruit and retain the best talent."

Eight of the other 12 companies -- Target, General Mills, Best Buy, Supervalu, Land O'Lakes, Medtronic, Xcel Energy and Ecolab -- said they would not take a position. The other four -- 3M, Ameriprise Financial, UnitedHealth Group, and U.S. Bancorp -- did not respond to the AP's inquiries.