Lawmakers want to amend Iowa Constitution

By The Des Moines Register

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No one ever said fighting for equal rights was easy. And no one ever said it was quick, either. In 2009, the Iowa Supreme Court issued a ruling that paved the way for gay marriage. It was a victory to be celebrated. But it wasn't the end of a quest to obtain equality for all Iowans.

In fact, it has recently felt as if that court decision was only the beginning.

Iowa has been experiencing a backlash to that ruling from the moment it was issued. Some candidates made gay marriage the central issue in their campaigns leading up to last November's elections. Voters removed three Iowa Supreme Court justices who joined the ruling. Now some lawmakers are trying to amend the Iowa Constitution to outlaw same-sex marriages and civil unions.

The movement to amend the Iowa Constitution to ban same-sex marriage and civil unions is a movement to strip away the civil rights of one small group of Iowans. If the rights of one group can be taken away, whose rights are at risk next?.

That is the message legislators should hear, because Iowa stands at a critical juncture: Will it move forward and protect equal rights, or will it move backward and remove them? The answer will define this state's character, both immediately and in the judgment of history.

Iowa must continue to lead. That means persevering for what's right in the face of adversity. If Iowans do that, history will regard us well.