IA: One Iowa Airing Gay Marriage TV Ads

Received this from One Iowa: On Sunday, Jan. 10, One Iowa will begin airing television ads in the Des Moines metro area to support the freedom to marry for gay and lesbian couples. The ads are set to begin a day before the start of the 2010 legislative session and are coordinated with the launch of One Iowa's new campaign, Equality: Red Blue Purple. "The ad illustrates Iowa's leadership in protecting equal rights for all and builds upon the traditional Iowa values we hold dear," said One Iowa Executive Director Carolyn Jenison. The 60-second ad entitled “This Place” can be found online at www.oneiowa.org. Representatives of One Iowa are available throughout the coming week to talk about the ad and preparations for the upcoming legislative session. The ad run begins on the same day as One Iowa's legislative campaign launch. Equality: Red, Blue, Purple is a coalition of groups with a combined membership of nearly 150,000 Iowans and includes labor, civil rights, and faith groups. A campaign launch is scheduled on Sunday afternoon. EQUALITY: RED, BLUE, PURPLE CAMPAIGN LAUNCH January 10, 2010 Des Moines Social Club 1408 Locust St., Des Moines Doors open 2 p.m., program begins at 3 p.m. Full Text of Ad: There is a quiet strength that comes from this land and its people. Change happens, as in the passing of the seasons, but some things remain the same. People came to this place from many lands, spoke different languages, held different beliefs, but they all held one hope in common – that in this place: they could find freedom. Our Supreme Court has made a decision against discrimination – in favor of freedom. The justices were not divided; they were unanimous in holding up a tradition – that the Constitution of Iowa is meant to protect our freedoms. This will not change religious marriage or how each religion defines that. It does protect civil marriage for same sex couples, and protects the freedoms of all committed couples. And to those outsiders, who want to put discrimination into our Constitution, shame on them. This is a place where people are respected, and a time to protect the freedoms we share. We’re One Iowa, and that’s why we’re proud to have paid for this message. One Iowa is the state’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) advocacy organization, committed to full equality for LGBT individuals, including the freedom to marry. More information at www.oneiowa.org.

IA: 150,000 Iowans Stand for Marriage Equality

One Iowa, Iowa’s largest gay rights group, has announced the formation of a broad coalition of groups opposed to a constitutional amendment to deny civil marriage equality to gay and lesbian couples. The 71 Iowa groups have a combined membership of nearly 150,000 Iowans and include labor, civil rights and faith groups. “Iowans believe in treating their neighbors with respect. That’s why a growing chorus of Iowans is speaking up to say discrimination has no place in the Iowa Constitution,” One Iowa Executive Director Carolyn Jenison said. The announcement comes in advance of Sunday’s Equality: Red Blue Purple campaign kickoff and the beginning of the 2010 Iowa legislative session Monday. Full Story from the Quad City Times: http://www.qctimes.com/news/local/article_360628f8-fb53-11de-b9f8-001cc4c03286.html

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IA: One Iowa Holds Marriage Equality Forum

"If a law gets passed that doesn't affect everyone equally, then it gets looked at by the law, not by what you are taught in church or at home," said Marty Elberg, an attorney from Eagle Grove. "It's what the law says." On April 3, 2009, the Supreme Court of Iowa ruled, through a unanimous decision, that gay and lesbian couples could marry in Iowa. Monday, a forum was conducted by One Iowa at the All Cultures Equal Center on marriage equality. One Iowa, is the state's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender advocacy organization and is committed to full equality for LGBT. Elberg and other individuals came together to share a continuing conversation in the community on same-sex marriage rights. Full Story from Webster City News: http://www.webstercitynews.com/page/content.detail/id/505126.html?nav=5006

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IA: One Iowa Launching New Marriage Equality Campaign

Red or blue, young or old, gay or straight; equality shouldn¹t be a partisan issue. On Jan. 10, the eve of the 2010 legislative session, One Iowa will launch a major legislative campaign to oppose a constitutional amendment that would seek to deny gay and lesbian couples the freedom to marry in Iowa. Equality: Red Blue Purple will highlight broad based opposition to an amendment that would take away civil marriage protections from Iowans and will feature a coalition of organizations and individuals working to stop an amendment. The coalition consists of Democratic and Republican co-chairs joined by labor, civil rights, and faith groups. A full slate of coalition members will be announced in a separate release prior Sunday¹s rally. The campaign will begin with a January 10 kick-off rally at Des Moines Social Club. Full Story from Politics Iowa: http://www.iowapolitics.com/index.iml?Article=180875

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IA: One Iowa Holds Forum on Gay Marriage in Sioux City

Advocates for same-sex marriage urged local supporters to share their stories about the issue to counter political attempts to ban such marriages in Iowa. The encouragement came during a forum that statewide gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender advocacy group One Iowa held Tuesday in downtown Sioux City. Ryan Crane, One Iowa regional organizer, said it's important supporters let their community and legislative representatives know the movement to maintain marriage equality in Iowa has more support than they might think. He said polls show Iowans don't really talk about the issue in everyday life, but such discussion is important because the opposition to same-sex marriage is well-organized and vocal. Full Story from The Sioux city Journal: http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/news/local/article_4672e9b1-07e0-5220-9d11-78f8413ae619.html

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One Iowa Working to Defend Gay Marriage

To most Iowans, same-sex marriage, now legal in the state, is not a burning issue that political candidates and legislators should spend precious time and resources on, according to the state's largest gay and lesbian advocacy group. But One Iowa is not taking the situation for granted. The group is criss-crossing the state, urging voters to contact lawmakers to ensure that same-sex marriage remains legal as a result of an Iowa Supreme Court ruling on April 3. "The vast majority of Iowans are concerned about bread-and-butter issues. They don't want to see lawmakers tied up in a contentious two- or three-year fight to amend our constitution," to ban same-sex marriage, said Justin Uebelhor, director of communications for One Iowa, who made a stop in Dubuque on Tuesday. Full Story from TH Online: http://www.thonline.com/article.cfm?id=261091

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To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook - just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you'll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We're also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.