Let’s continue civil rights conversations

The continued conversation about same-sex marriage is important for all citizens of Iowa. A Feb. 16 letter (“Time to move on from same-sex marriage debate”) suggested that this continued debate was damaging both the reputation and the economy of Iowa and that most Iowans did not think it affected their lives, but I believe that this is just the opposite.

Recently, an 80-year-old mother of a homosexual man from Clinton posted a YouTube video in support of her gay son. This woman is a third generation Iowan and at first, she did not accept her son, but after years of talking, she came to accept him; both she and thousands of other Iowan have been and will be affected by the continued debate over same-sex marriage.

This debate is not about the economy, it is about the basic civil rights of Iowans. I agree with the author that Iowans will not amend the state constitution; however, this does not mean that discussion and debate is not important. It is important for the legislators and other citizens in Iowa to continue talking about all issues of civil rights. So, tell your legislators that it is not time to move on, but to move forward in improving the lives of citizens in Iowa.

Heidi Reynolds

Anamosa