Marriage opponents play victim

By Nate Willems

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In the process of moving into a new house, my wife expressed her strong desire that I go through boxes of books and papers with the intent of putting as much as possible in the recycling bin. In doing so, I stumbled across an April 15, 2009, issue of the Mount Vernon Lisbon Sun. On the opinion page, I found a legislative column I had written in the wake of the Varnum v. Brien decision and early legislative attempts to amend the Iowa Constitution in response.

The column reads a lot like a law student briefing a case for class until the last paragraph where I wrote, “I do not support House Joint Resolution 6 because I simply do not think it is a good idea to amend the Iowa Constitution for the explicit purpose of discriminating against a group of Iowans and taking away their constitutional rights.” Of those who expressed disagreement with my column in 2009 - and there were many - it would be fair to say the dominant feeling conveyed was anger.

Four years later and same-sex marriage again has become a hot topic, but the sentiment expressed by opponents seems to have changed. Some same-sex marriage opponents are now trying to play the role of victims. Last week, Craig Robinson of theiowarepublican.com wrote, “Sure, gay activists want marriage rights, but what they are really after is validation of their lifestyle. That validation comes at the expense of our religious liberties.”

In opposition to public funding for a youth conference designed to prevent anti-gay bullying, Iowa Republican National Committeewoman Tamara Scott said people of faith “suffer persecution more often” than gay youths.

Bullying of kids perceived to be gay happens every day; loss of religious liberty because of same-sex marriage does not. A person is not persecuted because the government no longer endorses her belief that a group of people should be treated like second-class citizens. A person is not a victim because he continues to espouse views that become increasingly unpopular. And if it is true that the LGBT community seeks “validation of their lifestyle choices,” then the same must be said of same-sex marriage opponents.

Iowans' attitudes have changed over four years; it is easier to write in support of same-sex marriage now. Of course, some opinions have not changed but their attitude now strikes a more defensive tone. Efforts to turn back the clock are unlikely to be successful. Efforts to portray those who work in this endeavor as victims are lame. My 4-year-old copy of the Mount Vernon Lisbon Sun will be saved, not pitched. The views espoused by Mr. Robinson and Ms. Scott, on the other hand, risk falling into the recycling bin of history.

Nate Willems is a Lisbon attorney and a former Democratic state legislator. Comments: nwillems@gmail.com