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IowaPolitics.com: One Iowa launches campaign backing same-sex marriage
1/11/2010

By Andrew Duffelmeyer
IowaPolitics.com

DES MOINES -- Leaders from labor, faith and rights groups gathered in Des Moines on the eve of the 2010 legislative session Sunday, calling for Iowans from all walks of life to speak up in support of same-sex marriage.
 
AFSCME President Danny Homan, Interfaith Alliance Chair Matt Mardis-LeCroy and Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal were among the speakers at One Iowa’s “Red Blue Purple Campaign” launch at the Des Moines Social Club.
 
Mardis-LeCroy, a minister at Plymouth Church in Des Moines, said people of faith must raise their voices in support of same-sex marriage to counter groups calling for a constitutional amendment that would ban the practice.
 
“Despite what you may have heard, there is more than one religious perspective on marriage,” Mardis-LeCroy said. “And that means people of faith have a critical part to play in this debate.” Rudy Simms of the Des Moines Human Rights Commission made a plea similar to LeCroy's.
 
“The problem today is that more people of faith need to be more vocal on what they believe and be able to shout out, ‘I believe that all men and women are created equal, that all should have equal rights, equal protections, equal opportunities, equal responsibilities,'” Simms said.

Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, made a brief appearance at the event. He said the Legislature has a lot of work to do on the state budget this session, something One Iowa has said should be the focal point for legislators instead of the same-sex marriage issue.
 
“We’ve got a lot of things we’ve got to accomplish in the state budget and we’ve got to keep Iowa equal,” Gronstal said. “I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure that happens, you guys do everything in your power, and we can be proud of Iowa the way we’ve always been proud of Iowa when it comes to civil rights.”
 
Mardis-LeCroy said this issue should “transcend the smaller things that divide us” between liberal and conservative, and that equality is an Iowa value.
 
“The people of Iowa are not about to write discrimination into our state constitution, not this year, not ever,” Mardis-LeCroy said. “The people of Iowa are better than that.”
 
Planned Parenthood of the Heartland President Jill June cautioned the more than 100 people that turned out for the event, saying “this will be a very long fight," echoing earlier comments from Iowa Federation of Labor President Ken Sagar calling for solidarity between progressive groups.
 
“I stand here to tell you that there are forces in play that will work to divide us year in and year out, through each legislative session, through each opportunity that we take, and our strength will come from our solidarity of working together,” June said.
 
One Iowa also used the event as an opportunity to screen its new TV ad, “This Place,” and ask for supporters to come up with $10,000 by Wednesday to keep the ad running.
 
Supporters were also asked to come to the Capitol Tuesday morning to help deliver nearly 18,000 postcards to legislators and to counter Let Us Vote Iowa’s “Two Days For Marriage” campaign beginning that day.


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