A Cause for Celebration: Progress for LGBT Rights

A Cause for Celebration: Progress for LGBT Rights

The Iowa City LGBT community and supporters took time out Wednesday night to celebrate several milestones in the LGBT movement: 30 years since Iowa City added sexual orientation to its human rights ordinance, six months since Johnson County passed a human rights ordinance and this year’s passage of a state civil rights bill.

“Whatever’s next, whether it’s marriage or something else, it is important to step back and see what’s been accomplished,” state Rep. Mary Mascher, D-Iowa City, told 100 supporters at the Hotel Vetro in Iowa City.

Mascher co-sponsored civil rights legislation in 12 consecutive sessions under a Republican majority before finally seeing passage this year after Democrats took over the House and Senate. Senate File 427 added "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" to the civil rights code, which prohibits discrimination in housing, employment, lending, education, public accommodations and other areas.

“We’re not done, but we need to stop and reflect,” Mascher said.

She singled out Iowa City couple Robin Butler and Janelle Rettig for praise. “Any time we had questions in the Legislature, we knew we could have their advice, solicited or not.”

Rettig said the effort started 30 years ago -- "with four people who had a lot of courage.”

One of those early pioneers was Mona Shaw of Iowa City, who helped organize the first legislative lobby day for LGBT rights in the nation. The night before the event, she said, organizers were scared.

“We didn’t think we’d have 10 people show up, and we’d already told the press we’d have 25 or 30. And not all of our legislators wanted us to do this," she recalled.
"So we went to the Capitol, and we’d made 100 "Iowa Human Rights Coalition" buttons. And we ran out of buttons. I was in the basement, and I walked upstairs and it was a beehive filled with 125 lesbians and gay men and their parents pulling out every legislator to talk to them.”

“That sense of hope means more than any political office, any paycheck, or any girlfriend. You don’t start something like this for a political career or because it looks good when you’re running for office. It wasn’t cool at first,” she told a crowd that included more than a dozen elected officials.

“Sometimes we chicken out, to keep a job or impress someone. But someone told me, every time you chicken out and don’t do the right thing, you make room for someone to do the wrong thing – and they will.”

Legislators shared credit for passage of the civil rights bill with colleagues from across the state. Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, praised Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs. “A couple years ago, with the constitutional amendment (banning gay marriage), it was a more difficult vote for some of our senators," Bolkcom said. "Mike did a masterful job of making the case to our caucus, and all 21 of us who were there at the time opposed the amendment,” which was blocked with the help of four Republicans. “From that point on, Senate Democrats understood the importance of civil rights for all Iowans.”

Rep. Vicki Lensing, D-Iowa City, thanked Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, D-Ames, for her floor leadership during consideration of the civil rights bill, and said passage of the bill was “solemn and dramatic.” House leadership used a rare “call of the house” procedure that literally locked members in the chamber and made them vote, rather than “taking a walk.”

Sen. Bob Dvorsky, D-Coralville, said colleagues Jack Kibbie and Gene Fraise helped illustrated the solid support of Senate Democrats. “These are gentlemen in their 70s from rural Iowa who stood up to oppose the constitutional amendment.”

Mascher said passage of the civil rights bill sends an important signal to Iowans and the nation. She introduced Dustin Wagner, her clerk for the 2007 session, who is now working as the Johnson County Health Department’s HIV outreach coordinator. “These are the young people we need to nurture and encourage,” said Mascher. “This is our future.”