Iowa groups opposed to gay marriage released a letter and petition with the signatures of more than 800 Iowa pastors they plan on sending to candidates for statewide office and the Legislature.
In 2009 an Iowa Supreme Court ruling legalized same-sex marriage in Iowa, and opponents have vowed to try to ban same-sex marriage. They are now seeking to do this by amending the state's constitution to define marriage as "one man, one woman".
At a news conference outside the state Capitol Tuesday, officials with Purpose Ministries and the Iowa Family Policy Center stressed the importance of the issue in advance of Tuesday's primary election.
Chuck Hurley, president of the Iowa Family Policy Center, said he hopes the candidates will get the message.
The group says it hopes they will "see the light and feel the heat".
Brad Sherman, founder of Purpose Ministries has told press that marriage dates back 5,000 years, and has always been a man-woman union for procreation.
"Now we have a court who has contrary to nature and nature's God, chosen to redefine marriage and begin to legislate this from the bench," Sherman said. "We also have a Legislature, the leadership of which has refused and blocked every effort for the people of Iowa to have a vote on this issue."
He added that Senators and Representatives must represent the Iowans who voted for them, and "not the homosexual lobby".
All 3 GOP Senators running for Governor have stated their support for amending Iowa's constitution to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
One of them, Bob Vander Plaats has promised toissue an executive order on his first day in office to halt same-sex marriages until the Legislature addresses the issue or gives voters a chance to amend the Constitution.
Candidate Rod Roberts has said he would veto budget bills until the Legislature takes action to allow Iowa voters to weigh in.
Troy Price, political director of gay rights group One Iowa, said this election is about jobs and the economy and improving schools; and that a homophobic agenda which seeks to take away people's rights will not score votes.
" I will sink you"
In addition to this news, Iowa’s Republican National Committeeman sent an e-mail this week from his Blackberry to a gay member of his party who is considering a run for president, telling him he would work overtime to ensure that his campaign aspirations are thwarted.
“You and the radical homosexual community want to harass supporters of REAL marriage,” Steve Scheffler wrote in an e-mail to Fred Karger, a longtime civil rights advocate in California who is gay and has announced he is running for president. “. . . I will work overtime to help ensure that your political aspirations are aborted right here in Iowa.”
Karger expressed shock and dismay, that so high ranking a GOP member would be blatantly disdainful.
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