Iowa Really is the Heartland, History Repeating by Lisa Daily

Iowa really is the Heartland.

On Friday, the Iowa Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in a unanimous decision. This makes Iowa the third state (joining MA and CT) to allow same-sex marriage.

The Iowa Supreme Court wrote, “We are firmly convinced the exclusion of gay and lesbian people from the institution of civil marriage does not substantially further any important governmental objective.”

The Court went on to say that Iowa lawmakers had, “excluded a historically disfavored class of persons from a supremely important civil institution without a constitutionally sufficient justification.”

The justices said that upholding a same-sex marriage ban “would be an abdication of our constitutional duty.”

As many of you know, the state of California legalized same-sex marriage for approximately six months last year, before outlawing it (Propostion 8) in the November 2008 election.

Now, Ken Starr, best known for investigating the Clinton/Monica Lewinsky scandal, is attempting to nullify the 18,000 same-sex marriages legalized in California in a battle being decided now in the California Supreme Court.

In Florida, where I live, the voters passed Proposition 2 last November, amending the state constitution and defining the institution of marriage as limited to a union between one man and one woman.

Is there anybody on the planet who thought that same sex couples would be allowed to marry in Dubuque or Badger, IA  before New York City, San Francisco, Miami, or Los Angeles? Not me.

My husband and I were watching MILK a few weeks ago, the biography of San Francisco's first openly-gay man to be elected to public office.  While watching the film,  I was constantly struck by how many similarities there were between the fight for civil rights back in 1978, and the fight for civil rights in 2008. 

Really, have we learned nothing in 30 years?

What was even stranger was that the fights were played out on the exact same battlefields -- California and Florida. 

Not only that, the voters fell for the same ole schtick.  "Gay couples are ruining America's families."

That's a load of crap.

I'll tell you what's ruining American families:  a corrupt health insurance industry posting quarterly profits in the hundreds of millions of dollars, and refusing to pay for medical services for its insured.  Fast food.  Our economy in the toilet, and our unemployment rate through the roof.

Gay people are just minding their own business, and if the fact that someone else is happy or enjoying the same civil rights that you have is destroying the fabric of your family, well, let me be the first to tell you that you need therapy. 

Although your insurance company probably won't cover it.

If you haven't seen MILK, you should, Sean Penn is worth that Oscar -- and while I won't ruin the ending for you, I'd like to hit on a few of the main points:

According to Wikipedia's rundown on Harvey Milk, "The fledgling gay rights movement had yet to meet organized opposition in the U.S. In 1977 a few well-connected gay activists in Miami, Florida were able to pass a civil rights ordinance that made discrimination based on sexual orientation illegal in Dade County. A well-organized group of conservative fundamentalist Christians responded, headed by singer Anita Bryant. Their campaign was titled Save Our Children, and Bryant claimed the ordinance infringed her right to teach her children Biblical morality.  Bryant and the campaign gathered 64,000 signatures to put the issue to a county-wide vote. With funds raised in part by the Florida Citrus Commission, for which Bryant was the spokeswoman, they ran television advertisements that contrasted the Orange Bowl Parade with San Francisco's Gay Freedom Day Parade, stating that Dade County would be turned into a "hotbed of homosexuality" where "men ... cavort with little boys".

"California State Senator John Briggs saw an opportunity in the Christian fundamentalists' campaign. He was hoping to be elected governor of California in 1978, and was impressed with the voter turnout he saw in Miami. When Briggs returned to Sacramento, he wrote a bill that would ban gays and lesbians from teaching in public schools throughout California. Briggs claimed in private that he had nothing against gays, telling journalist Randy Shilts, "It's politics. Just politics."

Hmm. That reminds me of something....why, it's the 2004 elections, when "defense of marriage" propositions littered the ballots in dozens of states and brought the religious right stampeding to the voting booths.

It's time for politicians to stop using gay Americans as kindling to fuel their political ambitions.

Our constitution guarantees equal civil rights for all Americans.    Whether you like them or not.

Lisa

Comments

[Ramona]

Well said!

[Tom]

Yes, all men are created equal -- and women, too.

The Prop 8 ad campaign was a shameful example of pandering to fear and ignorance.

GO, IOWA!! Enough is enough.

[Lisa Daily]

Tom & Ramona,

Thanks :-)

Lisa

[Janis]

Yes! Go Iowa!

Iowa makes me proud. For those of you from other areas of the country, Iowa is a state with a population considerably older than that in the rest of the country. Iowans are concerned that their young people are leaving the state and making their homes elsewhere after they finish their schooling. They are open to new industry and new ideas. In order to get the younger generation to come home, I believe Iowa politicians are more willing to listen to them than politicians in other states.

Remember, the Obama movement began to gather strength in Iowa because of the dedication and determination of its young people. (Not that people of all ages didn't work for Obama, but the younger ones kept the fires burning.) That state has got it going on!

I have never understood why anyone would care about the sexual orientation of others. Who benefits from such speculation? What difference does it make? Umm. What's the divorce rate among heterosexuals again?

[Peg H]

Hear! Hear! I agree, well said!

Fundamentalist Christians prove their ignorance and prejudices when they harp on about Biblical morality. And yet they teach intolerance, where's the morality in that?

[Josh]

I know gay people who stick their noses into my business, but they were our maid of honor and best man. Neither of them (one is in a 30+ year relationship) can marry in the state where they live.

[Karen in Ohio]

Well written, Lisa.

Not only does sexual orientation of others not threaten me, but neither does a long-term commitment of any sort threaten me. With a divorce rate in the US of more than 50%--this despite the average expenditure of $25,000 and up on a wedding--how can straight people justify telling anyone else how to live? It seems to be a uniquely American failing, to say one thing and do exactly the opposite. We want the rest of the world to drop their nuclear weapons while we have as many nuclear weapons as all other countries combined, and then some.

One of my dearest friends is a gay man who lives in NYC. His personal goal in life is to have a husband, but that goal recedes further and further every year. Having a husband of my own, I question his sanity. But the heart wants what it wants. Who is to say that's wrong? Surely not me.

It was 77 degrees here yesterday; today it is supposed to snow. Oy.

[nancy martin]

When we cleaned out my grandparents' house after they passed away, we found a Klan robe buried deep in my grandfather's belongings. My aunt, horrified, burned the thing in the rubbish barrel before anyone else could hear about it. I suspect that the idea of opposing gay marriage is going to be one of those similar issues--that will horrify and embarrass future generations.

Go, Lisa!

[Judy Larsen]

Amen, Sister! I've never understood how anyone can be opposed to two people willing to declare their love for one another . . . like we have enough/too much love in the world already?

Yeah for Iowa and the Heartland!

[Maryann Mercer]

Add my amen to Judy's! I can think of mountains of issues that deserve more attention than whether gender affects someone's right to love someone else and commit to a lifetime partnership...with benefits. Like health care, education, eldercare, getting this country back on track economically and globally. Like tolerance. Like just about everything. It would be nice to think Illinois will be next to follow Iowa's example, but we're too mired in the gubernatorial mess to get anything productive accomplished.

[Elaine Viets]

My husband is from Iowa. The state has an extremely high education rate. I used to discuss Broadway shows with Don's Aunt Velma and she knew (and saw) more of them than I did.
Gay marriage makes sense for another reason -- it boosts the local economy. Gays spend as much on weddings as straights. They buy dresses and tuxes and have lavish receptions and invite all their friends and families. It's a great boon for hotels, reception halls, cake makers, and florists.
Too bad I can't take the harsh winters there. Last time I was in Iowa in January, it was so cold and dry the skin peeled off my face.

[hollygee]

"I'll tell you what's ruining American families: a corrupt health insurance industry posting quarterly profits in the hundreds of millions of dollars, and refusing to pay for medical services for its insured."

This is really getting to me. The cost of health care is busting huge corporations and small mom & pop stores and breaking union contracts. If health care reform -- hell, not reform -- trash the old system and bring in something that works for EVERYBODY and the economy will begin improving.

[Lisa Daily]

Amen and hallelujah to all.

Thanks for all the the great comments :-)

Lisa

[Kerry]

Add my very loud "amens" to all of the above. I remember the Anita Bryant campaign in Florida and was a CA voter when the move to ban gays from teaching in public schools took place. I will never, ever understand why homosexuality is so frightening to so many people that homophobia seems to remain the last socially acceptable form of discrimination.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - the only thing that threatens the sanctity of my marriage is that an entire group of people is denied the same thing I have.

[Laura (in PA)]

I can't for the life of me figure out why it makes a difference to anybody if someone is gay or not. As others here have said, there are just so many more important things to worry about. I have two step-children, both of them gay. They are people, living their life. They would no more threaten anyone's family than you or I would.

Karen, you brought up one of my biggest pet peeves. The amount that some people spend on weddings is, to me, one of the biggest wastes of money and show of excess I've ever seen. And, as you said, it's no guarantee that the marriage will last.

Ugh.

[Harley]

Include me in on all this. I love Iowa, and am proud to have a sister and brother-in-law living in Des Moines.

As for Anita Bryant and her fears, homosexuality is apparently not contagious, and pedophiles, including those who target little boys, are quite likely to be heterosexual, and involved in that sacred institution of marriage.

[xena]

Soooo....having costumed 1000 Homosexuals I am extremely educated on the Gay Rights Movement of 1977 in Florida.
Not to say Anita Byrant was correct in her beliefs, as I am a firm supporter for equality for all people what ever their sexual preference, but she was confused and brain washed and destroyed her life over this issue. Her husband and her Minister set her up.
She was not opposed to Homosexuals. She was afraid of Homosexuals recruiting children to become Homosexuals. She thought she was protecting her own children. She also had a lot of conflict in her spiritual faith. And lets not go into her home and family life.
The Citrus folk canned her when the Gay population boycotted Florida orange juice. (Then I find out there was a frost that wiped out the groves in 1977 so they were really hurting even before the boycott.)
I agree that it is a hot topic for elections. I am proud Iowa has opened their views and passed this law.
It's just plain stupid to keep people who love each other from making a commitment for better or worse.
I'm with Lisa & Nancy on this one. Burning the KKK robe won't make it go away. Wake up and smell the coffee America!
The times they are a changin'. I think it's for "better".
Just saying.

[bea]

I was heartened (heh) to see that judges in Iowa got this issue right. We lose our rights when we cede them to the government. We have to be vigilant. Whoever brought the suit in Iowa: Kudos, highest praise, you go, girl (or guy, or group, or whatever). You recognized that the government was, without proper basis, trying to limit a freedom.

I am not surprised that this happened in Iowa. Respect for individual freedom is not limited to the coasts. However, respect for individual freedom is tempered with an understanding of individual responsibility. We seem to be unwilling to accept that these two go together; we want it all, no strings attached.

[Gayle Carline]

As a Californian, I'm embarrassed by the recent passage of Prop 8. I truly do not see how it hurts me personally when gays are allowed the same rights as I have. Of course, I may have a unique view to add to the discussion: I'm a white woman married to a black man. Laws against interracial marriage weren't repealed in every state until 1967, and Alabama still had the law on their books (it wasn't enforced) until 2000, when only 59% of the voters voted to remove the wording.

For those anti-gay activists who argue that it's different, because homosexuality is a sin according to the Bible, I'd like to remind them that the miscegenation laws also arose from the belief that such a ban was "in the Bible". I suspect some people still believe this, but at least they can't legislate my marriage into oblivion... yet.

Gayle Carline
http://gaylecarline.blogspot.com

[Karen in Ohio]

Laura, there seems, at times, to be a direct relationship to how long the marriage will last to how much money they spent on the wedding. Look at Starr Jones, for instance, who had a massively lavish and outrageously spendy wedding. She and whathisface lasted what? Two years. On the other hand, that may have been a "gay" wedding, in one sense.

Oh, yeah; I said it. ;-)

[ArkansasCyndi]

I'm back after being gone since Thursday (y'all miss me! LOL) Spent the weekend in Dallas at a writers' conference. Honestly slept all day yesterday.

Today's topic...real hot button. I cannot (for the life of me) figure out if Bill and Jim marry (or Sally and Betsy married), my marriage will be affected. I like the British system - marriage is a civil union conducted by a governmental official, then there is a separate religious ceremony. BUT the civil ceremony is the one that weds the couple.

I hope Xena is right and The Times, they are a changin'

[Kevin]

Great post Lisa. I spoke with a Priest friend about prop 8 and he said that every time this same woman in church would pray for the passing on prop 8, he would counter by adding that may gay persons feel welcome in our church. This made the woman madder and madder! I told him that these church folks have no clue what it means to be gay and his response, "Oh course not kevin" Funny, church people are sposed to be more like Jesus, but for some strange reason, they are less like Jesus!

[William Simon]

This is one of the things that disgusts me beyond words. As long as everyone is a consenting adult, this world is tough enough, and if you're lucky enough to even FIND love, what business is it of mine or anyone else's what form that takes?

Leave everyone alone. Let people marry who they love, not who we think they should love. We've got much larger issues today, so leave individual choices alone and let's look at the Big Picture....

[gaylin in vancouver]

Whatever happened to Judge not, lest ye be judged.

I don't know why anyone would want to get married, I tried it once, I didn't like it. Come to Canada, anyone can get married.

I agree with Laura, the whole wedding industry is a revolting waste of money and the worst form of social one-upping.

[Josh]

I guess the wedding industry is a waste of resources, but, damn it, I really wanted to see that Bristol-Levi wedding, at least to see if the mother of the bride would try to upstage her daughter, whether the mother of the groom would supply the hooch and meth, and whether there would be paid endorsements, like in The Truman Show.

[michele]

Amen, Lisa! Great blog.

I finally saw Milk (fabulous movie by the way!) and it made me understand what the Anita Bryant thing was all about. I'd love to read a good book about that strange moment in American history. It was apparently a major catalyst for the religious right's getting involved in politics.

[Pam aka SisterZip]

Just a highjack...

Isn't this just fabulous?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vq6b9bMBXpg&feature=channel_page

[nancy martin]

Pam, I loved it! Thank you!

[storyteller Mary]

Wonderful! I wonder how it was organized. . .

[Karen in Ohio]

Pam, that's my favorite thing right now!

[Avis]

Here's another one from London.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ3d3KigPQM&NR=1

The London one is a T-mobile commercial. I love it.

[P.J. Parrish]

Iowans seem to understand what so many don't, that the battle is already over. The next generation knows this. Check out Iowa Senate leader Gronstal's telling why he won't support a bill against the civil unions. Children, teach your parents well...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2s2R5qKhbo&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fandrewsullivan%2Etheatlantic%2Ecom%2F&feature=player_embedded