Liberty and Freedom in Iowa
Iowa is the next venue for a gay marriage challenge in the courts, and that happens tomorrow before the Iowa Supremes. Seems a judge there actually declared the ban on gay marriages unconstitutional there. Once again the hopes and aspirations of gay and lesbian Americans, and their children, are on the line.
If you’ve got a good computer connection and a little time tomorrow, you can watch live streaming oral arguments (somehow that sounds like porn) on your computer of the Iowa Supreme Court as they hear Varnum v. Brien, a case about gay marriage. I’m told the live streaming with be on the Iowa Supreme Court web site, but if you want to sign up to support the gay marriage case, you can go here, to One Iowa. This is a very big deal in Iowa. The USA Today is reporting about the case this morning, but I’ll quote from the DesMoines Register:
The high court acknowledged the case’s high profile last week by extending the length of oral arguments and creating a special Web page for the case at www.judicial.state.ia.us/Supreme_Court/. Such decisions are rare and generally reserved for complex cases, Davis said.
Davis said each side will receive 30 minutes to present arguments, instead of the usual 10 minutes. Polk County, which asked the Iowa Supreme Court to review the case, will then get a 15-minute rebuttal.
. . .
State court administrators and a local gay-rights group anticipate such heavy interest in the Iowa Supreme Court same-sex marriage case on Tuesday that they have taken special steps to accommodate large crowds.
The Iowa Judicial Building will open separate rooms for an overflow crowd during oral arguments. Seating for the hearing is limited to approximately 80 seats in the courtroom and 48 seats in a separate auditorium, said Iowa Judicial Branch spokesman Steve Davis.
Court administrators plan to assign spots on a first-come, first-served basis. Visitors must request a seat in person the morning of the hearing, Davis said.
Court administrators also plan to stream the oral arguments live on their Web site, www.judicial.state.ia.us/Supreme_Court/.
One Iowa, a Des Moines-based gay rights group, also plans “watch parties” at the Des Moines Public Library, the Iowa City Public Library and the Iowa State University Memorial Union in Ames, said campaign manager Brad Clark.
The issues seem similar to those in other states around the country, that marriage has never been designated in any original constitution with gender specific roles, and that most state consititutions guarantee equal rights to all. What could make this more important is that it is more difficult to amend Iowa’s constitution, the process requiring to passing votes in consecutive sessions of the Iowa House, then a passing referendum amopng the voters. Hey, Iowa’s pretty conservative, so I’m not sure that’s going to be hard to do, just time consuming. Still, it is nice to see some moral progress in the heartland.
My luck to all the couples in Iowa seeking to get married.
In Iowa? Sorry, it’s not going to happen. There’s no way the heart of the Bible belt is suddenly going to see this as a civil rights issue and not as a “gays want special rights” issue.
I believe that all Americans are equal beyond any other considerations. But this just isn’t going to happen. The only hope the GBLT citizens have is to come out of the closet, march on DC and demand that their rights as American citizens be recognized. Only a Constitutional amendment guaranteeing them equal rights is going to change things. It shouldn’t be needed, but that’s the only way it’s going to happen.