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One Year of Marriage Equality in Iowa
Congratulations! Congratulations to the many same-sex couples married in Iowa over the past year. Special thanks to the six couples who led the way by being part of the Iowa Supreme Court Case, Varnum vs. Brien. Arthur Breur took a little time out of Kate and Trish Varnum’s weekend and chatted with them about how it feels to be a part of history and to be legally married. Read the interview on page 9.
One year later, after the Iowa Supreme Court made history and provided marriage equality to same-sex couples in the state, the tally of states that provide full marriage rights has gone from three to five plus Washington DC. Maine nearly joined the list, but marriage rights there were overturned in November with the passage of Question 1. With the number of marriage-equality states almost doubling in one year, it is easy to be encouraged, even seeing all the states in black and gray in the map below.
OneIowa “This Place” TV spot wins Gold Pollie Award
Congratulations to One Iowa and Joe Slade White & Co! “This Place,” One Iowa’s television advertisement supporting the freedom to marry received a Gold Pollie Award from the American Association of Political Consultants in the category of Best TV Spot for a statewide initiative campaign. The Pollie Awards are hailed as the “Oscars of Political Advertising.” The award comes as Iowans are about to celebrate the one-year anniversary of marriage equality in Iowa. Read the complete story on page 13.
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Ames GOP state senate candidate’s law firm filed anti-equality amicus in Varnum vs. Brien AMES, IA — Attorney Timothy Gartin announced his candidacy for the Iowa State Senate, District 23, in early March, and filed his nomination papers on March 23. He will be challenging State Senator Herman Quirmbach (D-Ames) this November. To date, all of Mr. Gartin’s political statements have focused on purely fiscal issues, and he has made no mention of social issues. ACCESSline requested a statement from Mr. Gartin specifically on the issue of civil rights for members of Iowa’s LGBT+ communities, but as of publication, Mr. Gartin has not Photo: Tim Gartin for Iowa Senate responded. Of particular interest to our community is the fact that Mr. Gartin’s law firm filed an amicus brief in the Varnum vs. Brien case, opposing marriage equality. Co-counsel on the amicus brief was the National Legal Foundation, a hard-right-wing Christian legal group whose mission statement includes such phrases as “Pursuing legal and policy means of ensuring that all levels of government reward good and punish evil.” (Same-sex marriage would apparently fall within their definition of “evil.”) From the amicus brief: “As to the second point, same-sex marriage cannot be considered a fundamental right, because, by definition, marriage is the union of a man and a woman. The primary substantial objection to this argument based on definition is that it is simply tautological. However, chemistry provides a clear analogy that demonstrate that this argument is not tautological. The study of chemistry has revealed that the only process in which table salt can be formed is through the union of sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl). Even if the union of two sodium atoms or two chlorine atoms is called “salt,” as a matter of definition, it cannot be. The same is true for marriage; even if you call a union of two same-sex persons a marriage, it simply cannot be.” Senator Quirmbach has a history of supporting and promoting civil rights in his tenure as state senator.
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