I am proud of Iowa’s historic leadership on equal rights for all of our citizens. My husband, James and I have been married for more than 46 years. I simply cannot imagine what my life would have been without his love and support. We experienced all that the marriage vows promise: better and worse, sickness and health, richer and poorer. Together, we raised four children, built our lives and our livelihood, endured and survived because no matter what else happened, we always had each other. I could never deny other couples the responsibilities and the protection that civil marriage has afforded to us. I could never deny other couples the joy of having a secure and loving, lifetime relationship with a person of their choice and that is why I proudly signed an amicus brief in support of marriage equality in Iowa’s landmark Varnum v. Brien case. I recognize that this is a difficult issue for some, but civil marriage in no way interferes with religious marriage.
LGBT Issues
I support repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” because we need all the talented and patriotic Americans who seek to serve to be able to serve proudly. To exclude people who are willing to sacrifice their lives to defend our freedom flies in the face of our national security. We must stop discharging dedicated soldiers because of who they are. Three out of four Americans support repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and I am one of them.
Ending workplace discrimination has been a passion of mine for decades. I have devoted much of my professional life to securing civil rights for everyone. I would support and cosponsor the Employee Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) as well as legislation to strengthen laws against hate crimes to include those committed because of sexual orientation.
