Iowa Independent-Civil Rights

Homosexual activity is “more dangerous for individuals who engage in it than is smoking,” and because of this, state lawmakers need to pass a constitutional amendment overturning last year’s Iowa Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage, according to Iowa Family Policy Center President Chuck Hurley. Hurley was responding to a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that said gay men have higher rates of HIV and syphilis than the general population. Because of these figures, if the state allows gay men to get married they are “sanctioning self destructive ...

An attempt by state Rep. Chris Hagenow, R-Windsor Heights, to exclude same-sex couples from a domestic violence bill is drawing outrage from the state’s largest gay-rights organization. The Des Moines Register reported Wednesday afternoon that Hagenow attempted to amend Senate File 2357, which prohibits a person subject to a protective order or who was convicted of domestic violence from possessing a gun. His amendment essentially would define marriage as between one man and one woman using a portion of Iowa law that the Iowa Supreme Court struck down t last year when it legalized same-sex ...

With the news that Citibank screens some of its clients for “objectionable content” — and applies that screening process to gay-themed businesses — many LGBT business people and Citi customers are probably wondering where their business is truly welcome. Luckily, Jeremy Quitner of The Advocate has a great run-down of banking programs designed to cater to the needs of LGBT clients — and, specifically, to the special needs of same-sex couples. Quitner explains why targeted LGBT banking and financial planning programs are so important. “It boils down to marriage rights,” says Jennifer Hatch, ...

U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., didn’t mince words Thursday in calling for the repeal of the long-standing ban on gay men donating blood. “Not a single piece of scientific evidence supports the ban,” Kerry wrote today in Bay Windows, a New England-based gay and lesbian newspaper. A letter to the FDA — spearheaded by Kerry and signed by 20 other Senate Democrats — is more guarded, calling for the administration to review — and modify, if appropriate — the long-standing prohibition. “With hospitals and emergency rooms across the country in constant and urgent need of blood products, we ...

A Kansas-based church is once again planning one of its infamous and highly inflammatory protests of homosexuality in Iowa. Westboro Baptist Church, run by Fred Phelps and predominantly attended by members of his family, announced on its Web site that it will protest at Graceland University, a school with strong religious ties. The protest is scheduled for Friday, March 5, and will be held in conjunction with a production of “The Laramie Project” by Graceland’s Theatre Department. The play recounts the reaction to the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay student at the University of ...

Christians can’t “tolerate” same-sex marriage because to do so would be to give up beliefs and accept the homosexual lifestyle as “healthy and normal,” radio host Jan Mickelson said while introducing GOP gubernatorial hopeful Bob Vander Plaats and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee at a public event Wednesday. Jan Mickelson Mickelson was addressing a fundraiser for the Iowa Family Policy Center. The influential social conservative organization has formally endorsed Vander Plaats’ campaign and vowed to sit out the November election if he’s not the candidate. “Personally, I think two guys ...

Bob Vander Plaats, who has made opposition to same-sex marriage a cornerstone of his gubernatorial campaign, said Wednesday that codifying the specific issue of marriage, while still very important to him on a personal level, is secondary to the more important task of maintaining Iowa’s separation of powers. Republican Bob Vander Plaats addresses the crowd after being endorsed by the Iowa Family Policy Center last month (photo by Jason Hancock/Iowa Independent). The Sioux City Republican, who has garnered an endorsement and seemingly unprecedented loyalty from at least one influential ...

A leading figure in the effort to overturn “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” called on Gov. Chet Culver last week to speak out on the need for the policy’s repeal, but the governor says the issue is beyond his scope of responsibilities and better left in the hands of federal officials. Gov. Chet Culver In the state of Iowa, gay citizens’ rights are protected under the Iowa Civil Rights Act, which “prohibits discrimination in the areas of employment, housing, credit, public accommodations and education.” However, the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy — which bars those that are openly gay, lesbian, or ...

Although Lt. Dan Choi’s current status in the military remains murky, one thing is clear: In his heart and mind the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy is a poisonous disease that spreads beyond the military. Students and allies flock to Lt. Choi for autographs and photo-ops at the 5th Annual Governor’s Conference on LGBT Youth (photo by T.M. Lindsey/Iowa Independent). “Through my experiences while serving in Iraq, I discovered why ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ is so poisonous is that it forces people to lie about who they are,” Choi told an audience of about 200 LGBT students, allies, ...

At least three bills have been introduced this legislative session by House Republicans that deal specifically with the power or make up of Iowa’s judicial branch. The courts have long been a political punching bag for conservatives who fear judges “legislating from the bench,” but since last April’s Iowa Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage, Republican anger towards the courts in Iowa has reached a new level. The Iowa Supreme Court building in Des Moines. The first bill was introduced by state Rep. Jason Schultz, R-Schleswig, who has drawn fire already this year for ...