Track Mangoes

"We have all of you courageous plaintiffs to thank: Go get married, live happily ever after, live the American dream."
--Des Moines attorney Dennis Johnson, who argued on behalf of the gay and lesbian couples

Maybe we weren't ready for Iowa to become what some conservatives have been calling "The New Gay Mecca." As Iowa joins the ranks of Connecticut and Massachusetts I can't help but wonder if it's all worth it. Is the "American Dream" really something we should want?

"It's a big win because, coming from Iowa, it represents the mainstreaming of gay marriage. And it shows that despite attempts to stop gay marriage through right wing ballot initiatives, like in California, the courts will continue to support the case for equal rights for gays. Once again, Iowa is leading when it comes to political dialogue in the country." --Richard Socarides, an attorney and former senior adviser on gay rights to President Clinton

It certainly does represent that.

"This is an unconstitutional ruling and another example of activist judges molding the Constitution to achieve their personal political ends. Iowa law says that marriage is between one man and one woman. If judges believe the Iowa legislature should grant same sex marriage, they should resign from their positions and run for office, not legislate from the bench ... Along with a constitutional amendment, the legislature must also enact marriage license residency requirements so that Iowa does not become the gay marriage Mecca due to the Supreme Court's latest experiment in social engineering." --U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa

The same thing recently happened in OR, where the judicial system decided to amend the law. It didn't last very long and, as I hear, there is already legislation moving to repeal the new marriage laws. How long will it last? How long can it go? And Must we follow Iowa? We're all very aware of Iowa's somewhat archaic relation to civilized depravity. We judge them for it. But the Iowa marriage law was simple and understandable, saccharine in its ability to provide a kind of eerie calm to the state. What is more, it was overwhelmingly supported by Iowans. Gay marriage will have to be a consensus. Despite what liberals tell you, gay marriage IS a threat to the institution of marriage, an institution that has been essentially monopolized by the Judeo-Christian establishment. Homosexual couples who want to be accepted into that kind of institution should consider the what it means for Conservatives to accept it. Right wigners think that homosexuality is an existential threat because it is an existential threat to society as they know it. We ought to be sensitive to the fears that we induce in conservatives. We are crushing their world, and in Iowa, we are doing it unfairly.