Gay Marriage Foes Gather at Capitol

Hundreds of Iowans rallied at the State Capitol on Wednesday, calling on lawmakers to allow a statewide vote on a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in the state.

Led by a coalition of pastors, about 350 opponents of gay marriage gathered on the west steps of the Capitol for speeches and then marched to the Iowa Judicial Building where they prayed for Iowa’s seven Supreme Court Justices.

“I humbly pray that all of eternity would be changed because of what we do here today,” said Chuck Hurley, president of the Iowa Family Policy Center, one of the organizers of the event.

The issue of gay marriage became a focus of conservative activists in August, when Judge Robert Hanson ruled that the state’s marriage law is unconstitutional and ordered Polk County to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The decision is awaiting appeal at the Iowa Supreme Court.Hurley told the activists gathered at the rally that if the Supreme Court affirms Hanson’s ruling, it will allow gay couples from around the country to flock to the state and get married in civil ceremonies and then return to their own state’s and sue to get the union’s recognized.

He said as taxpayers who help finance the $1.38 million in judge’s salaries each year, the group has a right to express concerns about the case. He called marriage between a man and a woman a “seedbed of civilization” and that “government should not redefine what it did not create.”

Democratic leaders in both chambers have said that they don’t think it is appropriate to debate the issue until the high court has had an opportunity to review Hanson’s ruling.

“We debated it once and it failed on a 25-25 tie vote,” said Sen. Michael Gronstal, the Democratic Majority Leader. “We have a law and we have a court opinion that says the law is unconstitutional. Most people feel like we need to find out what the reasoning of the court is before we debate it, it is important to learn more about their rationale.”

Amendments to the Iowa Constitution need to be approved by simple majorities in both chambers in two consecutive general assemblies and then be approved by voters in the next general election. The earliest a final vote could be taken on a constitutional amendment is 2010.

Sen. Matt McCoy, D-Des Moines and the only openly gay lawmaker in the state legislature, said most Iowans favor continuing to preserve equal protection under the law.

“It’s interesting to hear the wing nuts talking about how these types of unions are contributing to the decline of western civilization,” McCoy said. “Considering the divorce rate and the occurrence of domestic violence in what they would call a traditional marriage, it seems odd that they would criticize the value of a union between a homosexual couple who are committed to one another.”

McCoy said two key pieces of legislation passed last year gives gays equal footing in the legal system. Those bills include enhanced anti-discrimination protection and an anti-bullying bill. Until those bills are tested in the judicial system, it will be hard to judge their effectiveness, however, McCoy said.

He said the bills were additional steps toward ending hostility to a diverse segment of Iowans. He said he’s hopeful that parallel steps are taken by the legislature and Gov. Chet Culver to make new Iowans from various ethnic and religious backgrounds feel more welcome.

McCoy said the governor should use his office as a “bully pulpit” to continue to push for Iowans to embrace immigrants. “We live in a state where the population hasn’t grown in 100 years and so we need to be welcoming these people,” he said.

Little can be done on that front from a legislative standpoint, he said, but continuing to push for more diversity in his administration and among state department heads would show Iowans that he supports inclusiveness, McCoy said.

“He can help to set a tone of civility among all Iowans.”