EDGE Los Angeles

Though national anti-gay organizations such as the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) have targeted marriage equality for repeal in Iowa, as in other states that extend legal parity to gay and lesbian families, Iowans themselves are largely unconcerned with the issue, rating the problem of drivers texting while at the wheel as being of greater significance than attempts to wrest marriage away from same-sex families, according to a Feb. 8 article at the Des Moines Register.

Indeed, the article noted, the state’s residents say that far more pressing matters should be dealt with by state lawmakers, with marriage equality and several other "hot button" issues failing to prompt much voter concern. Out of six topics--including marriage, gun control, gambling, and other topics--voters in that state found only texting while driving significant enough to take lawmakers away from crucial issues. Out of the six issues, marriage equality--which became legal in Iowa last year after a ruling by the state’s supreme court--was ranked last by voters.

Nor are Democrats, who control Iowa’s state government, likely to tackle the issue of marriage once again. Even the state’s Republican lawmakers see the issue of family equality as non-starter with voters: "I think of that collection of topics, they’re clearly interested in government sticking to its core business, which is public safety," said Kraig Paulsen, the House Minority Leader.

Some would like to see the Iowa constitution re-written via ballot initiative to strip marriage rights from gay families, Proposition 8-style, but Kevin McCarthy, the house Majority Leader, told the press, "We’ll do our best to avoid divisive social issues with few exceptions."

However, Paulsen indicated that regardless of what mot voters see as priorities for their lawmakers, the state’s Republicans wouldn’t give up so easily. "The majority party has successfully convinced people that that’s something that takes a lengthy period of time. There’s no reason it should have to take more than 30 minutes," Paulsen said.

The minority whip, state Sen. Steve Kettering, noted that Republicans, though in the minority, might still force a vote on the issue if they can get support for it from enough lawmakers--51 representatives and 26 senators, according to the Des Moines Register item.

"We’re a citizens’ legislature," explained McCarthy. "Legislators bring their passions with them to the Capitol. One legislator’s throwaway issue is another legislator’s must-do."

Not long ago, social conservatives who would like to see marriage revoked in Iowa conceded that it was unlikely the issue would gain traction in 2010, meaning that the earliest it could come up for a vote would be in four years’ time.

"There’s just no chance at all" that the Democratically-dominated state government will clear the way this year for a ballot box attack on Iowa’s gay and lesbian families, said former Republican state senator Jeff Angelo. "Democratic leaders have really put themselves out there and said they are not going to allow a vote, so it won’t happen. I think Republicans know that."

Iowa Democrats in the state’s senate and house alike turned back multiple attacks on marriage equality in 2009. State Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal even declared that he would not permit the issue to come up for a vote.

A Feb. 8 editorial at Gazette Online notes, "Supporters of a vote on the Iowa Marriage Amendment say they ’deserve their chance to be heard.’ They are getting their chance to be heard in the debate about whether to have that vote."

Adds the op-ed, "They don’t deserve a vote simply because they want one or even because they believe they constitute a majority. And how many judicial decisions should be subject to voter nullification?"