Planned
Parenthood is committed to ensuring that sexuality is understood as an
essential, lifelong aspect of being human and that it is celebrated
with respect, openness, and mutuality.
Our coalition partner,
One Iowa, is working to secure the right to civil marriage for Iowa's
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) citizens. One Iowa is
currently conducting a confidential survey to obtain information about
how individuals in same-sex relationships and their families are
treated in Iowa.
If
you are in a same-sex relationship, please respond to the confidential
online survey. You can also help by urging LGBT friends to
complete the survey. It's available online through December 1.
Current Iowa law provides no access for LGBT citizens to the myriad of
rights, protections, and responsibilities provided by marriage.
In
August Polk County District Court Judge Robert B. Hanson ruled that
same-sex couples must be allowed to marry based on the Iowa
Constitution's guarantee of equal treatment under the law. That
decision was then stayed and will be appealed to the Iowa Supreme Court.
Those
opposed to marriage equity favor amending the Iowa Constitution to say
marriage must be between one man and one woman.
The
real life experiences gathered through the survey provide a powerful
educational tool to help Iowans understand the discrimination LGBT
families face because civil marriage is not available.
It's Pride month, and you know what that means - One Iowa's 2nd Annual Equality Ball! In honor of the monumental legislation recently passed, this year's theme is "We The People."
5:00 - 7:00 pm - Cocktails and Hors D'oeuvres 7:00 - 10:00 pm - Open Bar and Entertainment 8:00 & 9:15 pm - Special Entertainment Provided By Champaign Showers, CC Sakowitz, Jessica Tyler, Iris Aspire, and many more!
504 East Locust Avenue $5 Suggested Donation (However No One Will Be Excluded)
Human Rights Campaign Kicks Off "A Legacy of Service" National Tour in Iowa: Tour to Feature Sen. Gronstal, Iowa and American Heroes Speaking Out Against “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” By One Iowa
With an eye towards the Iowa caucuses in January, the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest gay civil rights organization, will kick-off a national tour against the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in Des Moines, Iowa on June 12.
The Des Moines event will feature Iowa Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal and former Naval Intelligence Specialist and Sioux City, IA native James Taylor. “A Legacy of Service” national tour will also former Marine Staff Sgt. Eric Alva, the first American servicemember wounded in Iraq, along with other veterans standing united and speaking out for the repeal of this discriminatory policy that continues to harm our nation’s security. The kick-off for the tour comes days after the Democratic and Republican Presidential debates aired live on CNN where the issue of repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” took center stage. When asked to raise their hand if they support the repeal of the ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military, every Democratic candidate raised their hand in support of repeal. Standing in stark contrast, not a single Republican candidate spoke out in support of repealing the policy. Tour stops includes Des Moines, Iowa; Phoenix, Ariz.; Orlando, Fla.; Palm Springs, Calif.; Seattle, Wash.; and New Hampshire. To find out more about the national tour, please visit:
www.hrc.org/legacyofservice
Des Moines, Iowa kick-off of “A Legacy of Service”, a national tour to repeal the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. Senator Mike Gronstal, Majority Leader of the Iowa State Senate James Taylor, Sioux City resident and former Naval Intelligence Specialist; Eric Alva, former Marine Staff Sergeant and the first U.S. servicemember injured in Iraq; Antonio Agnone, former Marine Officer who recently served a tour of duty in Iraq Alex Nicholson, former Army Arabic linguist; Jarrod Chlapowski, former Army Intelligence Linguist Joe Solmonese, Human Rights Campaign President
Tuesday, June 12 7:00 p.m. Iowa Historical Society Atrium 600 East Locust Street Des Moines, IA 50319
The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against GLBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.
Establishing our Progressive Iowa Network (PIN) - Update By Caroline Vernon
This Saturday, June 9th, progressive leaders, legislators and activists from various organizations across Iowa will come together for the first DFA-Iowa Networking Summit.
We will be gathering at theIowa City Public Library from 9am to 3pm(the last hour will be devoted to DFA-IA administrative business).
Some of our great leaders who will be in attendance include Charlie Chamberlain from Democracy for America, Ed Fallon, Denise O’Brien, and Senator Joe Bolkcom, just to name a few…
Once again, the purpose of this gathering is to establish a Progressive Iowa Network which will serve to better unite progressives across the state in order to support each others efforts around important issues, particularly if we hope to be more effective moving into the next legislative session. Besides providing an excellent opportunity to connect with fellow progressives, one direct benefit of an Iowa Network would be the enhanced ability to articulate our progressive world view by creating a state-wide echo chamber that will carry our unified message to all Iowans.
As previously indicated, we have identified 5 issues in Iowa that require urgent action:
1. VOICE (Voter-Owned Iowa Clean Elections) 2. CAFO regulations / Farm Bill 3. Fair Share 4. Healthcare 5. Media
Also, due to the recent vote on the Iraq supplemental bill, it is our hope that peace activists from across Iowa will take advantage of this opportunity to come together to discuss potential state wide initiatives that will effectively pressure those in Congress who voted for the bill.
In addition to addressing the above issues, we are tracking organizations by their particular area(s) of focus. This list has also evolved since my last blog:
1. Policy / Research 2. Lobbying 3. Media & Blogs 4. Grassroots Organizing
These 4 areas have been added:
5. Direct Action 6. Education 7. Funding (to identify potential sources of funding) 8. Political Campaigns (organizations who can be involved with campaigns)
We are working on compiling a comprehensive list of all participating organizations, including contact information, primary areas of focus and primary issues of concern. If you or your organization will be attending the summit, we ask that you submit your information using the example below (4 stars = primary focus)
Example:
Organization: Progressive Action for the Common Good Address: 3707 Eastern Ave, Davenport, IA 52807 Contact Information: (name/position/phone/email): Caroline Vernon, Organizer, 563-676-7580, carolina1961@gmail.com. James Lee, Executive Director, 563-650-3922, jlee6367@yahoo.com
Please send the above information to carolina1961@gmail.comby Thursday, June 7thso we can be sure to include your information in the hand-out.
It is important to note that we encourage ALL progressive organizations to attend this meeting and become part of the network even if we may not be focusing on your specific issues at this time. The goal of the network is to create a framework designed to support all progressive initiatives. We need everyone’s participation in order to succeed.
If you have any questions, please call Caroline Vernon at 563-676-7580.
Establishing our Progressive Iowa Network (PIN) – Mark the Date!
By Caroline Vernon
On Saturday, June 9th, progressive leaders, activists and legislators from across the state will converge on Iowa City for our first 2007 Democracy for Iowa Organizing Summit. We are still working out the details on the venue (forthcoming) but we will be meeting from 9am to 3pm (the last hour will be reserved for DFA-IA members to discuss administrative business so it will not be necessary for everyone to stay for that segment).
The purpose of this gathering is to establish the Progressive Iowa Network (PIN). This network will serve to better unite progressive organizations, legislators, and leaders across the state so we can support each other’s efforts around progressive issues in Iowa.
Currently,
we have an unprecedented opportunity to get progressive legislation
passed in our state. However, in order to achieve legislative victories
on the issues that we care about, we must establish an effective
framework that allows us to better organize our efforts, clarify our
message, mobilize our base, educate the public and influence our state
officials.
We have identified the following 5 issues as requiring urgent action:
1. VOICE (Voter-Owned Iowa Clean Elections) 2. CAFO regulations / Farm Bill 3. Fair Share 4. Healthcare 5. Media
Please note: we want ALL progressive organizations to attend this meeting and become part of this network even if we may not be focusing on your specific issues at this time.
The Summit Agenda will cover the following:
I. Why is PIN important?
The first part of this summit will discuss why PIN is important. Groups/Individuals will be asked to introduce themselves and identify their main areas and issues of focus:
This will NOT be an informational meeting about the issues, but rather a strategy session on how we can support each other moving forward.
II. Update & Evaluation of the recent Iowa Legislative Session
• What went well? • What would we do differently?
III. Break-Out Sessions by Issue
• Strategize with other progressives around the state that are working on the same issue. • What kind of help do you need from other organizations/leaders who may not be directly involved in your issue.
Lunch
IV. Report back to larger group identifying specific needs
• What do you need from PIN?
We will not have time to hear specific plans but rather will want to hear your list of needs on how other organizations/leaders can help you make progress around your issue.
V. Where does PIN go from here?
We will discuss logistics, network structure and set a date and time for our next meeting(s).
VI. DFA-Iowa Administrative Planning Session (for DFA-IA members)
This last segment will be for DFA-IA members to discuss by-laws, how we can better support Blog for Iowa, and other administrative details.
Outreach around this summit has been underway for awhile -- many progressive organizations/individuals in Iowa have already been notified. However, if you have not yet heard from us directly, please email Caroline Vernon ASAP: carolina1961@gmail.com. We need every progressive organization, leader and legislator in Iowa to participate in order to achieve maximum effectiveness as a network.
The Real Story Behind Our Recent Civil Rights Bill By Christina Butts
Being an ex-intern for the Iowa Senate Democrats and their team cheerleader/critic :-) ,
it sort of annoys me the inference that the Senate was the last to get
this bill and finally approve when it was the first and consistent
legislative house that has introduced this bill and got the votes to
pass it but it died repeatedly in the House. It has been the House that
was the stick in the mud, even with the new Democratic majority and
needed the final prodding and concession to the extremely conservative
Republican Leaders to include the amendment not undermine the
DOMA(Defense of Marriage Act) laws on Iowa's books. The public
announcement of this as being a wonderful Iowa House bill misconstrues
of the facts of history in my mind and somewhat annoys me. True, once
it finally passed the House's amendments to the Senate file/bill,
the Senate had to re-vote to concur, but most people don't know these
legislative steps in getting a bill passed. The second Senate approval
concurrence INCREASED in the AYE votes.
I've just been reading
national press releases on the announcements and congratulations all
around to Iowa. I know I worked hard on my end of the spectrum to make
sure this was one of the KEY issues in the state's Democratic party's
platform to be made into public policy, as Co-Chair on the '06 IDP
Platform's Government Subcommittee, with Andrew Keiffert of Dubuque,
which was overwhelmingly approved during the last state convention by
the party delegates/members from around the state. It was a puzzle that
needed many pieces(people) to fit into place to make it happen.
But so goes life. :-( :-P K' Plagh!! Enough with my sour grapes, And celebrate our victories this year!! 8-) :-) -------------------------------------------
A
bill for an act relating to the Iowa civil rights Act and
discrimination based upon a person's sexual orientation or gender
identity. (Formerly SF 224.)
*IBLTV is a group of citizens from the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids area who are concerned about the decline in the quality of local television. Fight local media consolidation, as it leads to an unaccountable medium that enriches itself while disregarding the need to serve the public good.
*The rational counter to 'The Point,' 'The Counterpoint' critiques and corrects the daily editorial by Sinclair Broadcasting's corporate vice president, Mark Hyman, that is broadcast on all Sinclair-owned television stations across the country
