It's knowing that a conservative talk radio host in western Iowa felt so threatened that he had to spend 30 minutes of his program going through that testimony line by line by line. It's the reminder of the power that I have, the power that we all have to shape the narrative that describes the human condition.
Above: Zach Wahls, raised by two moms, at the GLAAD Media Awards on March 24, 2012, described the whirlwind year following his testimony to the Iowa House of Representatives against HJR6, which would have advanced a measure to ban gay marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships in Iowa.
Although the video of his testimony eventually was viewed almost 17 million times on YouTube, Wahls wasn't able to convince the Iowa House to defeat the measure (see who voted against marriage equality here) but ultimately it went nowhere because Iowa Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal has vowed never to cooperate in an attempt to put the civil right of marriage to a popular vote.
Gronstal, adamant in his defense of his gay constituents, said so again in Carter Lake on March 17. For this, Gronstal has been called a "dictator" by right-wing Iowa fundamentalists. (Gronstal's smart wife, Connie, gave the accusation all the respect it deserved by fliply saying that if her husband is a dictator, she wants more shoes.)
The GOP, The Iowa Family Leader and the National Organization for Marriage will be spending several small fortunes on TV, radio ads and robocalls to defeat Mike Gronstal.
Hey- FYI. Gronstal's wife's name is Connie, not Carolyn.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Fixed.
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