Stories

The long and difficult process of amending Iowa’s constitution coupled with changing attitudes over time makes it unlikely that Friday morning’s state Supreme Court decision will be overturned.

State Reps. Dwayne Alons, R-Hull, and Dolores Mertz, D-Ottosen, have proposed a bill to amend Iowa’s Constitution and define marriage as being between a man and a woman.
House Joint Resolution 6 was introduced Friday as funnel week was coming to a close.  It has little chance of coming up for debate this session. It was [...]

Peter Yarrow — the Peter in “Peter, Paul and Mary” — lashed out against Chip Saltsman, a front-runner for the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee, for including a racially charged parody of one of his band’s songs on a CD that Saltsman sent to committee members as a Christmas gift.

A resolution defining marriage as being between one man and one woman has been tabled by the Sioux City council in order to review whether it would open up the city to litigation.

A resolution scheduled to be voted on tonight by the Sioux City council opposing same-sex marriage endorses discrimination and should be rejected, the ACLU of Iowa’s Executive Director Ben Stone said today.
“The resolution contains language stating that it is about ‘respect [for] the rule of law and majority opinion,’” Stone said. “Such rhetoric was commonly [...]

In a mostly symbolic move, the Sioux City council will consider a resolution tonight opposing same-sex marriage.
The resolution, authored by Councilman Brent Hoffman, would have very little real impact since cities lack authority over marriage. But Hoffman told The Des Moines Register that it would direct city departments, boards and commissions to stay in [...]

Ankeny Schools Superintendent Matthew Wendt recommended to his school board that the book “And Tango Makes Three” not be banned from the East Elementary School library.
The Des Moines Register reports that Wendt wants the board to consider adopting a new selection process for library materials, and while that takes place materials currently in the libraries [...]

A statewide poll conducted by University of Iowa political scientists found that 28 percent of Iowans support same-sex marriage. Another 30 percent support civil unions and about one in three oppose both.
“Iowans are not yet ready to support gay marriage completely, but they are clearly ready to legally acknowledge same-sex relationships,” said David Redlawsk, associate [...]

Two former Cedar Rapids teachers who were wrongfully strip-searched after being arrested on a simple misdemeanor at a 2004 rally for President George W. Bush will soon head back to court and fight a judge’s decision to lower the amount of their financial compensation.
Alice McCabe and Christine Nelson were originally awarded $750,000 by a jury [...]

Gay-rights activists in Iowa applauded the ruling by the Connecticut Supreme Court Friday that the state’s constitution does not permit barring gay and lesbian couples the same rights accorded to heterosexuals. Their hope is that Iowa will be next.