I’m speechless but I’ll try. I was not optimistic heading into yesterday’s Iowa Supreme Court marriage equality ruling but we both made plans to be at our local rally, win or lose. What a momentous day – a bold move in a long string of historic Iowa decisions for civil rights and equality.
Already there are negative voices and movements afoot to revoke these hard won rights, but there are also voices of hope. The Iowa Democratic Majority has already issued a strongly worded statement in support of the decision. Here’s a quote:
For Immediate Release: April 3, 2008
Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal
House Speaker Pat Murphy
Iowa continues to be a leader in guaranteeing civil rights
This is a joint statement from Iowa Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal and
Iowa House Speaker Pat Murphy on today’s Supreme Court decision:
“Thanks to today’s decision, Iowa continues to be a leader in guaranteeing all of our citizens’ equal rights.
The court has ruled today that when two Iowans promise to share their lives together, state law will respect that commitment, regardless of whether the couple is gay or straight.
“When all is said and done, we believe the only lasting question about today’s events will be why it took us so long. It is a tough question to answer because treating everyone fairly is really a matter of Iowa common sense and Iowa common decency.”
What this means, I think, is that there’s no chance of a legislative move against the decision until at least after the 2010 elections, and we’ll have our work cut out for us to continue to send a progressive and forward thinking legislature to Des Moines in that election.
You can bet we’ll be doing everything we can to help this happen. One project I’m very proud of is our participation in To Love and to Cherish, an anthology of lesbian love stories at Sapphic Planet:
Love is universal. Marriage is… not. But it should be. It is a matter of civil rights and equal protection. The writers of SapphicPlanet and loveyoudivine joined forces to bring you diverse and heartfelt stories of the many forms of lesbian love and yes… marriage.
Cover art: Lara Zielinsky
Publisher: loveyoudivine
Genre: Lesbian Romance
Release: August 2009
Pages: TBD
ISBN: 978-1-60054-322-7
This project began in indignant response to the passage of Prop 8 in California and Amendment 2 in Florida, denying the civil right of marriage to same-sex couples. All proceeds will benefit Marriage Equality USA.
And of course we’ll continue our efforts to bring you exciting erotic stories with happy endings for our many Bi heroines who so deeply want it both ways.
Here’s to being part of Iowa history!
Adriana
with heartfelt thanks to One Iowa and Lamda Legal
