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Anti-gay Iowa Family Policy Center announced Saturday night at a gubernatorial candidates' forum its effort to end marriage equality in Iowa which was legalized by the state's Supreme Court back in April.The group's president, Chuck Hurley, was the driving force behind the protests shortly after the court's ruling and the attempted strong-arming of the governor to amend the state's constitution. At Saturday's forum, Hurley said the new push will have goals to mobilize 100,000 activists, raise $485,000 and promote a "let us vote" (LUVIowa.org) effort to pressure lawmakers to agree to bring a constitutional marriage amendment before Iowa voters.
"If they don't see the light, maybe they'll feel the heat," said Hurley to a crowd of 400 who showed up to hear the candidates.
Another goal of the effort is to put on record all 150 state legislators' views on marriage equality and then "pressure middle-of-the-road legislators who said they believe in one-man, one-woman marriage to vote that way in January and February," Hurley said.
But legislatures won't be the group's only focus. The WCF Courier reports that three of the seven Iowa Supreme Court justices are facing retention votes on the 2010 ballot, and Hurley said it was the justices' "rogue decision" to allow "counterfeit marriage" that now requires a vote of the people to "rein-in" the judicial malpractice and to "rebuild the moral and legal culture that respects and strengthens marriage rather than tears it down."
After Hurley's 30-minute lead-in, the four GOP candidates --- Cedar Rapids businessman Christian Fong, Sioux City businessman Bob Vander Plaats (who earlier stated he would immediately issue executive orders to halt same-sex marriages if he won), State Rep. Rod Roberts, R-Carroll, and state Rep. Christopher Rants, R-Sioux City --- all endorsed the marriage amendment.
ACTION: Help keep marriage equality in Iowa. Go to One Iowa's website, the state's largest LGBT advocacy organization, and get involved!
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