It is also not historically permissible to declare that Gays are 're-defining marriage” which Republicans and Christians have vociferously and incorrectly stated was always “one man and one woman for thousands and thousands of years.” Rather, there are MANY cultures (some of which are still extent) in which two men or two women are FREE to marry one of the same gender! A few examples are the Roman Emperor's Nero (who publicly married a man named Sporus) and Elagabus (who married the [male] athlete, Hieroclese)–both of which were celebrated to the cheers of the citizens! The ancient historians directly called these men whom the Empereors married their respective “spouse”! The Chuckchi shamanic people still allow their Gay men (whom they believe are natural-born Shamans) to marry; and they are greatly sought after by some of the other males as a spouse. Even the Native American plains Indians allowed their Gay (*”Two-Spirit”) tribal Shamans to marry, and they were also greatly sought after as a spouse by the other men. I have also known many Hindus from India who have received a marriage to his husband within the context of that religion.

But, you know what? Religious marriages are not legal/ civil/ secular weddings and are NOT recognized by the state! You can get as MANY Church-weddings as you want with whomever you are in love with, but in the eyes of the State those “marriages” are MEANINGLESS and INVALID–you and your so-called “spouse” would be illegitimate and tendered complete legal strangers to the other. Moreover, historically-speaking, marriage centered upon love only about 150 years ago when the Industrial revolution drastically altered our cultural sense of global economics. Before this time, marriages were largely arranged to give wealth to one's parents–women and daughters were the legal and cultural property of their fathers and husbands. Even children were not conceived out of any sense of love or a family, but were literally looked upon as a labor force and was exploited as such by their parents!

It has only been the Christian west who has sought to deprive Gay people of their once powerful ancient history and esteem/ reverence in which they were usually regarded as powerful spiritual leaders! We were very often the High Priests and Shamans of a local tribe or religious institution.

You simply HAVE to get over this codification between religious- and state-marriage! After all, if it was the state's job to judge what marriages are worthy and those that are not, it wouldn't give out half the marriage licenses that it does each year–this means that Britney Spears would not have been able to have gotten her 48 hour marriage! Literally, I could pick anyone off the street–even though we are perfect strangers and of legal age–and take them to the Court House and get married to them. But, do you think we'd be ready for that kind of a commitment? No! Yet, the state does NOT judge the quality of one's relationship… if it did, then drunken one-night stands would not be legally valid for a marriage license in Las Vegas! What's next? Outlawing all non-Christian weddings as invalid by majoritarian rule because you don't understand them? Though, often they misuse the word “democracy” for this tyrannical feature, despite the FACT that the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that Gays are a SUSPECT CLASS, meaning that NO one gets to vote on ANY legislation that seeks to demonstrably target them, and anyone that even attempts to get such legislation onto the floor for a vote can (and should) be sued (and IMO stripped of his authority for demonstrably harming his or her own citizens–it seems out right treasonous)! We are now afforded one of the HIGHEST levels of Judicial scrutiny that is allowed under the US gov't, and that must be respected.

And, if it were up to what Americans “wanted”, than we would still have segregated schools, a ban on inter-racial marriage, and perhaps even some states that might condoned slavery! Don't forget, the Church endorsed slavery, often citing the Bible to excuse the master who owned slaves because it was popularly believed that Africans did not have souls. So, by Mary's logic, we shouldn't have these imposed onto the rest of the country/ population, either! But, marriage is a beloved FREEDOM to marry the person that YOU choose; after all, many religions endorse Gays and Lesbians, so any such bans would be an infringement on their religious freedoms at the same token.

That's my response to any Christo-Fascist… The Legislative system and US or State constitution were NOT supposed to be used as a weapon against a minority–EVER!

Here's some more history for you:

* In 1839 Albert Kneeland, a pantheist, arrived in Iowa after being arrested in Massachusetts for his religious beliefs. he and his followers sought to practice their religion freely.
* In that same year a slave owner moved to Iowa with his slave named Ralph; Ralph sought his freedom upon crossing the border into Iowa, and this was granted to him by our Supreme Court, more than 20 years before the onset of the Civil War which ultimately decided the fate of slavery.
* In this same year 9again!), Iowa had a law banning interracial marriage; this was soon over-turned in the year 1851 (again, before even the Civil War!) which is over 100 years before this law would be struck-down nationally! Our neighbors, Nebraska and Illinois, did not repeal this law until 1957 and 1874, respectively; and Missouri did not repeal it until a few years after the SCOTUS decision.
* In 1855, The University of Iowa became the FIRST Univ. to allow both men and women to attend; in 1873 U. of I was the first college in the Nation to grant a law degree to a women and to an African American in 1879; and it was also the first college in the country to admit an African American on a varsity sports team. This University was also the first in the country to have a female Editor serve its newspaper, or to recognize a GLBT student organization, and the first to extent “domestic partnership benefits” to its employees.
* In 1856 the general Assembly passed an Act permitting the Native Americans still in the state to remain here, despite the callous and illegal tactics of our fed. gov't at the time.
* In 1857 the first words of the Iowa Constitution were changed to read, “All men are by nature free and *equal*” from “All men are, by nature, free and independent.”
* In 1868, about 90 years before the segregation laws were nationally struck down, Susan Clark was denied admittance to a Public School because she was black; so, her father sued and the Supreme Court ruled (and pay attention to this!), that SEPARATE is NOT equal (this holds true for civil unions vs. marriage, which 10 years of study have proven are not the same according to the law, or the spirit of the institution.
* In 1869 the IA. Supreme Court ruled that women should be allowed to practice law in this state!
* In 1870 Iowa opened a medical Univ. that admitted BOTH men and women.
* In 1873, Emma Coger, a mixed-race woman, was forcibly removed from a steamboat dining cabin reserved for whites. In holding that Coger was entitled to the same rights and privileges as white passengers, the Court invoked the federal Civil Rights Act of 1866, particularly the 14th. Amend., but ultimately rested its conclusion on the first sentence of the IA. State Constitution, which reads: “ALL MEN ARE, BY NATURE, FREE AND EQUAL”–no “ifs”, “ands”, or “buts”!
* In 1976 (25 years before the SCOTUS did the same) the IA. Supreme Court dispatched its sodomy laws because it deals with a punitive law targeting private sexual conduct on unmarried couples, and treating them differently than married couples.

There have been a LOT of “firsts” in our state, and we should be proud of that, regardless of what our religions teach us! You see, Iowa has always had a history of being generations ahead of the rest of the country, including society and the fed. gov't! Indeed, Iowa has a history of leading the nation in Civil Rights legislation in which freedoms and personal liberties are expanded upon. Reflect upon everything that I have said, here. But, don't take my word for it in terms of history, look up each fact as I have presented them! Indeed, can you imagine how our PROUD Iowan history would be vastly different if they were put up to a VOTE simply because some extremist–and clearly religious–fringe declared that “Iowans don't want this!” and then sought to vote on the issue drawing upon fear, religious animus, and their religious base to squash their opposition? THAT, my friends, is the beginnings of a theocracy, even as it was touted in Nazi Germany, by Hitler himself, as he swayed his citizens with religious fervor.

It is also not historically permissible to declare that Gays are 're-defining marriage” which Republicans and Christians have vociferously and incorrectly stated was always “one man and one woman for thousands and thousands of years.” Rather, there are MANY cultures (some of which are still extent) in which two men or two women are FREE to marry one of the same gender! A few examples are the Roman Emperor's Nero (who publicly married a man named Sporus) and Elagabus (who married the [male] athlete, Hieroclese)–both of which were celebrated to the cheers of the citizens! The ancient historians directly called these men whom the Empereors married their respective “spouse”! The Chuckchi shamanic people still allow their Gay men (whom they believe are natural-born Shamans) to marry; and they are greatly sought after by some of the other males as a spouse. Even the Native American plains Indians allowed their Gay (*”Two-Spirit”) tribal Shamans to marry, and they were also greatly sought after as a spouse by the other men. I have also known many Hindus from India who have received a marriage to his husband within the context of that religion.

But, you know what? Religious marriages are not legal/ civil/ secular weddings and are NOT recognized by the state! You can get as MANY Church-weddings as you want with whomever you are in love with, but in the eyes of the State those “marriages” are MEANINGLESS–you and your “spouse” would be illegitimate and tendered complete legal strangers to the other. Moreover, historically-speaking, marriage centered upon love only about 150 years ago when the Industrial revolution drastically altered our cultural sense of global economics. Before this time, marriages were largely arranged to give wealth to one's parents–women and daughters were the legal and cultural property of their fathers and husbands. Even children were not conceived out of any sense of love for a family, but were literally looked upon as a labor force and was exploited as such by their parents!

It has only been the Christian west who has sought to deprive Gay people of their once powerful ancient history and esteem/ reverence in which they were usually regarded as powerful spiritual leaders! We were very often the High Priests and Shamans of a local tribe or religious institution.

You simply HAVE to get over this codification between religious- and state-marriage! After all, if it was the state's job to judge what marriages are worthy and those that are not, it wouldn't give out half the marriage licenses that it does each year–this means that Britney Spears would not have been able to have gotten her 48 hour marriage! Literally, I could pick anyone off the street–even though we are perfect strangers and of legal age–and take them to the Court House and get married to them. But, do you think we'd be ready for that kind of a commitment? No! Yet, the state does NOT judge the quality of one's relationship… if it did, then drunken one-night stands would not be legally valid for a marriage license in Los Vegas! What's next? Outlawing all non-Christian weddings as invalid by majoritarian rule; though, often they misuse the word “democracy” for this tyrannical feature, despite that the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that gays are a SUSPECT CLASS, meaning that NO one gets to vote on ANY legislation that seeks to demonstrably target them, and anyone that even attempts to get such legislation onto the floor for a vote can (and should) be sued! We are now afforded one of the HIGHEST levels of Judicial scrutiny that is allowed under the US gov't, and that must be respected.

That's my response to any Christo-Fascist…

Don't say AMERICANS don't want “gay marriage” (equal marriage rights) or “gays in the military” (which I don't even know why this is a big deal). YOU DON'T WANT THESE.