Gay marriage opponents delivering petitions signed by pastors to Iowa candidates

DES MOINES – Iowa groups opposed to gay marriage released a letter and petition with the signatures of more than 800 Iowa pastors they plan on sending to candidates for statewide office and the Legislature.

Last year, an Iowa Supreme Court ruling legalized same-sex marriage in Iowa, and opponents have vowed to try to ban same-sex marriage by amending Iowa's Constitution.

At a news conference outside the state Capitol Tuesday, officials with Purpose Ministries and the Iowa Family Policy Center stressed the importance of the issue in advance of Tuesday's primary election.

Chuck Hurley, president of the Iowa Family Policy Center, said he hopes the candidates will get the message.

“Whether they see the light, we believe, and we hope that they will feel the heat,” Hurley said.

Dating back 5,000 years, marriage has been defined as a union between one man and one woman, said Brad Sherman, founder of Purpose Ministries and pastor of Solid Rock Christian Church in Coralville.

“Now we have a court who has contrary to nature and nature's God, chosen to redefine marriage and begin to legislate this from the bench,” Sherman said. “We also have a Legislature, the leadership of which has refused and blocked every effort for the people of Iowa to have a vote on this issue.”

He said lawmakers should stop representing the “homosexual lobby” that he said is based and funded primarily outside Iowa, and begin to represent Iowans who elected them.

“Otherwise, we believe a pink slip is coming your way, and that's the message that we hope we convey with these petitions,” Sherman said.

Three Republicans are vying in the gubernatorial primary, and all have stated their support for amending Iowa's constitution to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

Of the three, only Bob Vander Plaats has said he would issue an executive order on his first day in office to halt same-sex marriages until the Legislature addresses the issue or gives voters a chance to amend the Constitution. Candidate Rod Roberts has said he would veto budget bills until the Legislature takes action to allow Iowa voters to weigh in.

Keith Ratliff, pastor of Maple Street Missionary Baptist Church in Des Moines, said the issue is not about hate or homophobia or lack of compassion.

“Just because you disagree with someone, it doesn't mean you hate them. It can just mean we disagree with their viewpoint, and in this case, their lifestyle,” Ratliff said.

Troy Price, political director of gay rights group One Iowa, said this election is about jobs and the economy and improving schools.

“This election is not about writing discrimination into our Constitution and taking rights away from Iowans, and the primary results will underscore that fact,” Price said in a statement.