Gronstal blocks amendment to reverse Iowa marriage equality

Without the support of Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, efforts to amend the Iowa Constitution can not move forward in the Senate.

Below is the text of Senator Gronstal's response to Senate Minority Leader Paul McKinley of Chariton on April 6, 2009, the first day the Senate met after the unanimous decision by the Iowa Supreme Court to allow same sex couples to marry.

Transcript
One of my daughters was in the workplace one day, and her particular workplace at that moment in time, there were a whole bunch of conservative, older men. And those guys were talking about gay marriage. They were talking about discussions going on across the country.

Any my daughter Kate, after listening for about 20 minutes, said to them: You guys dont understand. Youve already lost. My generation doesnt care.

I think I learned something from my daughter that day, when she said that. And Ive talked with other people about it and thats what I see, Senator McKinley. I see a bunch of people that merely want to profess their love for each other, and want state law to recognize that.

Is that so wrong? I dont think thats so wrong. As a matter of fact, last Friday night, I hugged my wife. You know Ive been married for 37 years. I hugged my wife. I felt like our love was just a little more meaningful last Friday night because thousands of other Iowa citizens could hug each other and have the state recognize their love for each other.

No, Senator McKinley, I will not co-sponsor a leadership bill with you.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Mike Gronstal
• Iowa Senate
• civil
• marriage

[thewagesoffear]

You are 49. He wasn't referring to your generation. I am 21. He was referring to MY generation. And he is absolutely right. And two consenting adults being able to profess their love is not a slippery slope for polygamy or man-boy love. But it is a slippery slope for a more decent society that would have already been achieved if it weren't for ignorant people like you

[Edwin572]

I live in Canada where gay marriage has been legal for 4 years. The Law is called the Civil Marriage Act for a good reason, it applies only to civil marriage and churches are still free to marry or not to marry. However, many churches welcomed the change and gladly marry gays. Your fears have no foundation. And yes, I'm a Christian and support gay rights. I know a Christian lesbian couple from California named Darlene and Becky and they are the most wonderful people you would want to know.

[Stan597]

Yes, Yes, young people are well known for considering the consequences of their actions to them and society as a whole. That is why we don't set age limits on drinking, voting, and age of consent for sex. Wait... that's not correct is it.

[sarah9miller]

We do not want government in control of marriage. We need to start treating each other as humans. Government free marriage is the pathway to equality. Government should have no control over religion or marriage. Leave marriage to the religions or to the people to freely contract with one another.

[VeritasLiber]

A tip of the hat to Mike Gronstal for representing the people in their goals of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. He gets it.

[solitasolano]

Gronstal for President. Many thanks for your leadership.

[MenechemShaul]

@thewagesoffear I am 23 I am disgusted that here in Canada it is legal! Not all of us in our generation are a perverted as you are, some of us look to the word of G-d For sustenance and Guidance!

[k9henrydog]

yes, there is a great deal of homosexuality in the animal kingdom... especially birds. Monkeys are horndogs, it s more a question of dominance/submissiveness. There was a famous pair of gay penquins at the Washington zoo........it's wrong to argue it's unnatural.....unbiblical maybe, but not unnatural

[abmackay]

This is "West Wing" grade awesomeness. Good for him.

[COMALiteJ]

The Mormons thing is strange for another reason: CA Proposition (h)8, and the similar Amendments and proposed Amendments in other States, and the proposed US DOMA, all forbid not only same-sex marriage but POLYGAMY as well.

Every one of them (even the Utah State Constitutional Amendment!) all go out of their way to specify that marriage is defined as between *A* man and *A* womAn!

True, the mainstream LDS faith has not practiced polygamy in over a century, BUT THEY STILL BELIEVE IN IT!

[COMALiteJ]

Do you know Who INVENTED the concept of Separation of Church and State, as far as we can tell?

Not Madison (author of 1st Amendment). Not Jefferson (letter to Danbury Baptists about a "WALL of separation" — if you think that that only protects churches from government but not vice-versa, show me a WALL [NOT door, gate, etc.] using ONLY technology known to Jefferson that blocks traffic in only ONE direction).

It predates them by some 1¾ MILLENNIA!

And I capitalized "Who" for a REASON!

[SirNotAppgInThisFilm]

Yes, not only are there gay animals, but animals have much more diverse forms of sexuality.

Human sexuality alone is not restricted to straight gay and bi. There are hermaphrodites, and iirc some people's cells can have strange things going on, like XXY chromosomes, for example.

Deep sea worms called Osedax (which feed on whale bones) have microscopic males which live inside the female host.

Bed bugs violently inseminate females, sperm move to eggs in the blood.

Female hyenas have penises.