Green Party of Iowa
greens.org/iowa/
August 31, 2007
DES MOINES, IA - The Iowa Green Party heralds this week's court
decision in Varnum v. Brien, which opened the door for same-sex marriages in the state, as yet another positive step towards full
equality for all citizens, regardless of sexual orientation, and welcomes the discussion that will ensue in our State Legislature. The
Green Party's Ten Key Values (http://www.gp.org/tenkey.shtml)
state the party's vision for social justice. "All persons should have the
rights and opportunity to benefit equally from the resources afforded us by society and the environment. We must consciously
confront in ourselves, our organizations, and society at large, barriers such as
racism and class oppression, sexism and homophobia, ageism and disability, which act to deny fair treatment and equal justice under
the law."
Daryl Northrop, co-chair of the Iowa Green Party, noted the historical
nature of this decision. "It was only a generation ago that laws banning interracial marriage were still on the books. Just this spring
we celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Loving decision, which struck down these discriminatory laws for interracial couples.
Today's Varnum decision is an equally important step in advancing equal justice under the law for all citizens."
"It's a step in the right direction, towards equality," was the
Burlington Hawkeye quote from Richard Johnson, former Green Party candidate for Lt. Governor, in response to District Court Judge Robert
Hanson's decision regarding Iowa's Defense of Marriage Act The judge overturned the law, citing the inherent unfairness of limiting
marriage to opposite-sex couples. The decision further ordered the Polk County Recorder to begin issuing marriage licenses in a
gender-neutral manner, thus opening a path in Polk County for same-sex marriage.
The Iowa Green Party has been active since 2000 promoting social
justice and equal rights for all Iowans, and will be actively engaged in the continuing struggle for full marriage rights for our state's
GLBT community. For further information contact co-chairs Daryl Northrop at
dnorthrop@polkcogreens.org
(515-229-9638) or Wendy Barth at peacenik@usa.net
(319-363-5345)
Iowa Green Party
Website: http://www.greens.org/iowa/
Mailing Contact: Iowa Green Party, P. O. Box 2448, Iowa City, Iowa
52244, ATTN: Secretary