April 2009 Archives

So, as mentioned in the previous post, today is my Mom's birthday. So, I called to wish her a happy birthday, and we had a lovely chat. My stepfather learned enough piano playing to pick out "Happy Birthday" which was a surprise and which really touched Mom as very sweet. So, he probably will not be playing Carnegie Hall in the foreseeable future, but it was incredibly nifty of him to learn something new. Sometimes, the simplest gifts are the best!

We also had a nice chat about my brother and the recent Koinonea weekend that he had. It sounds like it was absolutely super and something that made him very happy. Yay! Karen is also going to be going through it. My brother is thinking of going to other weekends to help out. Great for him!

Mom also asked if there was some kind of bill about anti-discrimination that was up for a vote. I explained the current status of Pennsylvania HB 300, which would amend the PA Human Relations Commission to include sexual orientation and gender identity/expression.

It turns out that someone at Mom's church slipped in some kind of pamphlet calling for folks to oppose this. (Apparently the person opposes discrimination, but not enough to think that anything substantive should be done.) Mom felt really riled up because of knowing the Drenched Fur committee member who goes to her church (I don't think that he is out to the congregation, and Mom felt worried that he might have seen the pamphlet and felt hurt, since he had already expressed about it being hard to feel accepted) and because of having a gay son.

I think that's part of the reason why I reacted the way that I did about the spam email about writing In God We Trust on envelopes that I thought slammed atheists and agnostics. It was sort of the same deal: someone assumes that everyone that they are sending a message to is part of a majority and that the rights and dignity of a minority are not worthy of protection, and they can pretty much be slammed as a threat with no defense expected from anyone.

Mom said that she was going to talk to the pastor about the bulletin. With that as an example, how could I fail to speak up for my friends who are not believers? It really bugs me when someone is only concerned about the rights and dignity of the minority that they themselves belong to, but don't make the connection to standing up when it isn't about self-interest.

So, very glad that I have such a cool Mom! I am lucky to have been raised by someone who has such great values.

A friend recently forwarded me (and tons of other folks) an email about a campaign to combat a perceived threat to removing In God We Trust (which I don't take as a serious threat) and suggested plastering stamps and envelopes with this.

The email read:

I am going to do my part and protect our rights...Hope you agree.

Payback is fun!!!!!!!!!  WRITE IT ON THE BACK OF
YOUR ENVELOPES  or on the front!
WE THINK THIS IS A GREAT IDEA. WE'LL START WRITING IT ON THE FRONT OF OUR ENVELOPES, TOO! !  Including Bills.
You may have heard in the news that a couple of Post Offices in   California   have been forced to take down small posters that say 'IN GOD WE TRUST"
The law, they say, is being violated.
Anyway, we heard proposed on a radio station show, that we should all write 'IN GOD WE TRUST' on the back of all our mail. After all, that's our National Motto, and it's on all the money we use to buy those stamps. We think it's a wonderful idea.
We must take back our nation from all the people who think that anything that offends them should be removed.  
If you like this idea, please pass it on and DO IT. The idea of writing or stamping 'IN GOD WE  TRUST' on our envelopes sounds good to us.  WE'RE HAVING A STAMP MADE TOO! Heck, lets use it as our signature on e-mails too!
It's been reported that 86% of Americans believe in God. Therefore, we have a very hard time understanding why there's such a mess about having 'In God We Trust!' on our money and having God in the pledge of Allegiance.
Could it be that WE just need to take action and tell the 14% to 'sit down and shut up'?
If you agree, pass this on, if not, delete!!!
BUT REMEMBER IF YOU DELETE THIS, that's 1 reason why this world is in the mess we're in now. WE SIT BACK & LET IT HAPPEN!

Sigh. Okay, this pretty much sounds like spam. But I was rather offended by this suggestion that religious minorities should be told to just shut up. So I wrote a response:

Sigh. Let me start off by saying that I have quite a few friends who are Atheists and Agnostics. They are good and decent people. For the most part, they are quite respectful of people with different religious views. As it so happens, although I was technically baptized a Catholic, I have never identified as Christian in my entire life. I have been pretty much an out of the broom closet Pagan for well over 15 years now. My faith is important to me, but I certainly can be supportive of people on different spiritual paths (including both Christians and non-believers, who are both different from me and from each other.)

I am very happy that we have a columnist who writes for Community United Church in Erie Gay News. I just called my mom to wish her a happy birthday today, and expressed how happy I was that my little brother recently went through Koinonea, a Christian retreat weekend thing. (Even dropped him off some cards, since I knew that this was meaningful to him.)

Is affirming one's spirituality via junk mail really exalting the Divine? (If God is dependent on the US Postal Service, then things are pretty bad.) I must admit to feeling troubled when I read that we need to tell a minority that they "should shut up and sit down." Freedom of religion should include ALL religions, even those who do not believe. Again, I have found that most non-believers are good and decent people who are respectful and not strident at all.

So, maybe for celebrating God, it might be better to start with a church/house of worship, rather than a mailbox. I would feel sad if the deepest testament of someone's faith was something scribbled or stamped on an envelope.

Truth to tell, this doesn't sound like an effective way for changing anyone's opinion.

Sorry to be a downer, but I really felt the need to stand up for my friends who are non-believers. They are just as much entitled to their path as the rest of us.

Wahoo! It is astounding how things are progressing. Sure, there are quite a few bumps in the road ahead, but this is very encouraging news indeed. And how cool that this poll shows that more people support marriage equality than oppose it.

Changing Views on Gay Marriage, Gun Control, Immigration and Legalizing Marijuana

ABC News-Washington Post Poll: 49 Percent Support Gay Marriage, New High

ANALYSIS By GARY LANGER

April 30, 2009—

Support for gay marriage, legalizing illegal immigrants and decriminalizing marijuana all are at new highs. Three-quarters of Americans favor federal regulation of greenhouse gases. Two-thirds support establishing relations with Cuba.

But hold tight.

If some views that may be perceived as liberal are ascendant, so are some conservative ones: Opposition to gun control is also at a new high in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll. There's continued broad support for tighter border controls. And contrary to President Obama, half of Americans wouldn't flatly rule out torturing terrorism suspects.

Click here for a PDF with charts and questionnaire.

It's a country, in short, in which no fixed ideological orthodoxy holds sway, and attitudes on hot-button issues can and do shift over time, sometimes in surprising ways.

Take gay marriage, legal in Massachusetts, Connecticut and now Iowa, with Vermont coming aboard in September. At its low, in 2004, just 32 percent of Americans favored gay marriage, with 62 percent opposed. Now 49 percent support it versus 46 percent opposed -- the first time in ABC/Post polls that supporters have outnumbered opponents.

More than half, moreover -- 53 percent -- say gay marriages held legally in another state should be recognized as legal in their states.

The surprise is that the shift has occurred across ideological groups. While conservatives are least apt to favor gay marriage, they've gone from 10 percent support in 2004 to 19 percent in 2006 and 30 percent now -- overall a 20-point, threefold increase, alongside a 13-point gain among liberals and 14 points among moderates. (Politically, support for gay marriage has risen sharply among Democrats and independents alike, while far more slightly among Republicans.)

Poll: Increased Support for Gay Marriage

I had heard rumors about this before, but not for a bit. Cool for Ms. McGillis for being open and honest! I think I liked her best in the movie Witness.

Top Gun star Kelly McGillis comes out

By Jessica Geen • April 30, 2009 - 10:06

Kelly McGillis with Tom Cruise in Top Gun

1 Comment on Top Gun star Kelly McGillis comes out

Actress Kelly McGillis, famous for playing Tom's Cruise's love interest in the film Top Gun, has come out as a lesbian.

She revealed her sexual orientation in an interview with Shewired.com.

McGillis said her next partner would “definitely be a woman”. “I'm done with the man thing. It's a part of being true to yourself,” she added. “That's been a challenge for me personally.”

“I think that was an ongoing process from the time I was probably 12,” she added. “It was a long, arduous journey for me. I had a lot of things happen that convinced me God was punishing me because I was gay. That was a hard process. Life is a freaking journey and it's about growing and changing and coming to terms with who and what you are and loving who, and what you are.”

The twice-married actress, who is currently single, has long been the subject of rumours about her sexuality.

Top Gun star Kelly McGillis comes out - from Pink News - all the latest gay news from the gay community - Pink News

Has Rep. Virginia Foxx no basic human decency? She stands in the same room, with a mother who has been living with the brutal death of her son for the past decade and describes it as a “very unfortunate incident”??? I guess on that scale, the September 11 terrorist attacks were like, really totally not cool.

It is very well documented that Matthew was indeed selected because he was a gay man. And can I just point out that using the word “hoax” in conjunction with a brutal murder is maybe not the best move, from a public relations standpoint.

I came out in 1992 when 2 men were convicted of second degree murder for targeting a local gay man. My late gay great grandfather was bashed. My late bisexual father was targeted for violence because of his orientation. Minimizing that homophobia did indeed play a role in these criminal behaviors is grotesque and insulting.

I tried calling Rep. Virginia Foxx yesterday at both her Washington and North Carolina offices. Not surprisingly both locations had full voice mail boxes.

Matthew Shepard killed in non-bias "robbery," Foxx says

North Carolina Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx  is questioning whether the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old gay University of Wyoming student, was a bias attack motivated by his sexual orientation.

Shepard's mother Judy was in the gallery at the time, according to a senior Democratic aide.

The socially conservative Foxx, arguing against a new Democratic hate crimes bill that includes new protections for gays and lesbians, described the description of Shepard's murder as a anti-homosexual attack a "hoax" -- and questioned whether prior bias crime legislation should have been named after him.

“I also would like to point out that there was a bill -- the hate crimes bill that's called the Matthew Shepard bill is named after a very unfortunate incident that happened where a young man was killed, but we know that that young man was killed in the commitment of a robbery. It wasn't because he was gay."

She added: "This -- the bill was named for him, hate crimes bill was named for him, but it's really a hoax that that continues to be used as an excuse for passing these bills.

"Matthew Shepard's mother was in the gallery yesterday and I believe she was back today -- so I'm sorry she had to be around to hear it," said Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.). "It's an urban myth... And I'd tell her that man did land on the moon and the moon wasn't made out of green cheese."

Wow! Too cool! I really feel like we are continuing to make progress. The committee vote initially was not looking good, so this is a terrific surprise!

(Concord, New Hampshire) The New Hampshire Senate on Wednesday passed legislation that would make the state the fifth in the nation to grant marriage equality. The 13-11 vote came despite a recommendation last week by the Senate Judiciary Committee that it be rejected. The chair of the committee, Sen. Deborah Reynolds (D) ...

NH Senate votes for gay marriage
Wed, 29 Apr 2009 19:13:53 GMT

I came back from lunch and one of the other programmers was having a problem setting up IIS for the correct authentication for a domain user account. I finally found the section to key it in, and had keyed in the user name. I asked the co-worker what the password was.

Him: "It's on your sleeve."

Me: "What? Brown? Knit fabric? Sweater?"

I then looked down and noticed that the post it note with the written password was stuck to my sleeve. Apparently, we WEREN'T playing a guessing game. ("Um, things that you eat?? What a postal carrier would say?? Can I buy a vowel???")

Sigh. So, the Pagan/alternative faith community includes whack jobs as well. Leaving aside the extraordinarily pretentious spelling of "vampyre", for a 45 year old guy to take seriously some 15 year old girl's claim about a vampire hunting society is absurd. Dude, some high school girl probably enjoyed watching Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. Let it go.

Assuming these allegations about harassment have merit, they should totally lock this guy up. He needs to learn that real life is NOT some kind of open air Dungeons and Dragons game.

Wow!

Vampyre King Refuses Plea Deal

Last Update: 4/27 3:35 pm

 

ROCHESTER, MN-- A man who claims to be the leader of a "Vampyre Nation" is pinning his hopes on a petition in federal court.
Jonathon Sharkey refused an attempt to settle his case in Olmsted County Court on Friday.
Sharkey's public defender and county prosecutors had a deal worked out.
It reportedly would have had Sharkey plead to a gross misdemeanor and enter an Alfred Plea.
It involves no admission of guilt, but is the same as a guilty plea.
Sharkey is facing a felony charge of harassment and 2 coercion charges.
Prosecutors claim he harassed a 15 year old girl and her family in the summer of 2007.
Sharkey, 45, has said he would not have wasted his time, but the girl told him he she was a member of an Elite Vampyre Hunter Society.

Vampyre King Refuses Plea Deal - KIMT.com – Iowa & Minnesota Together

This would be the same Rudy Guiliani who lived with a gay male couple. You know, after his first divorce. I am sorry, but for someone on his third marriage, he has absolutely no right to be telling everyone else how to live their lives.

Then again, I guess that referring to 9/11 as a way to rally folks has gotten old. So, he needs a new hook, apparently.

RUDY GIULIANI is declaring war on gay marriage -- vowing to use his strong opposition of it against the Democrats if he runs for governor next year.

BUT HIS GUY PALS PLAN TO WED

The former mayor, in an extended interview with The Post, also predicted that Gov. Paterson's high-profile effort to legalize gay marriage would anger many New Yorkers and spark a revolt that could help sweep Republicans into office in 2010.

RUDY RIPS GOV'S BID FOR GAY NUPS - New York Post

Tom, my brother in law stopped in Erie last night en route from his home in Toledo to Buffalo,since he was getting stuff stored at his old house. We went out and had a very nice visit. He showed me some photos from some of the Real Bearded Santa conventions that he has been to.

I should explain that I actually met him before my sister met him through the Society for Creative Anachronism, back in the late 80's. We had both acted as heralds. When we walked out, he saw the car I got this past January and agreed that the name was incorrect for the color, and that it should be a Mercury Argent, not a Mercury Sable.

Goodness! Erie Gay News has had rather a glut of online contest of late. We just launched one for Morrissey’s new CD – Years of Refusal. We also have contests going for the debut CD by Thriving Ivory and Jana Mashonee’s CD, New Moon Born. Today is the last day for the $200 gift certificate for Good Health Rejuvenation.

So, feel free to enter one or all!

Oy, what a week! I stopped off Tuesday after to work to help my friend Jeff with some computer/web stuff. We are doing some bartering; he has done some wonderful home repair for me, and I am going to help him with some web site setup stuff for the campground his family owns. On Tuesday, we fixed the Google map, which displayed the address weird because of some oddities. We were trying to set up range extenders for a wireless network, but had some problems. We called tech support and stumped the first level tech eventually. After waiting for a while for level 2 to call us back, we ended up bagging it and went out to get a bite to eat.

Tonight, I went to the Lake Erie – Allegheny office of Earth Force to help my friend Mike and his co-worker Margarita with social networking stuff, mostly with Facebook. They now have a Facebook group.  It went pretty well, and they are going to look into doing a blog as well. I preached the gospel about why RSS is a Good Thing.

I also have to check out my friend Lisa’s computer, as she has a problem getting email. Alas, that will probably have to wait until Saturday.

I am also somewhat swamped with the upcoming issue of Erie Gay News, and have also been working on the voters guide that will be in this issue.

Wow! First McCain’s daughter, now a key person from his campaign. I find it especially significant that he makes the grounds for marriage equality as a conservative.

I know that there have been and will continue to be roadblocks and set backs, but I am feeling particularly astounded right now by the recent burst of progress.

Ex-McCain aide to call for gay marriage support

Posted: 09:58 PM ET

From CNN Senior Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash

At a gathering of a gay Republican group, Steve Schmidt will make the case Friday that the Republican Party should support same-sex marriage.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Steve Schmidt, a key architect of John McCain's presidential campaign, is making his first public return to Washington a bold one.

Schmidt will use a speech Friday to Log Cabin Republicans, a gay rights group, to urge conservative Republicans to drop their opposition to same-sex marriage, CNN has learned.

"There is a sound conservative argument to be made for same-sex marriage," Schmidt will say, according to speech excerpts obtained by CNN. "I believe conservatives, more than liberals, insist that rights come with responsibilities. No other exercise of one's liberty comes with greater responsibilities than marriage."

Schmidt makes both policy and political arguments for a Republican embrace of same-sex marriage.

On the policy front, Schmidt likens the fight for gay rights to civil rights and women's rights, and he admonishes conservatives who argue for the protection of the unborn as a God-given right, but against protections for same-sex couples.

"It cannot be argued that marriage between people of the same sex is un American or threatens the rights of others," he says in the speech. "On the contrary, it seems to me that denying two consenting adults of the same sex the right to form a lawful union that is protected and respected by the state denies them two of the most basic natural rights affirmed in the preamble of our Declaration of Independence — liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

"That, I believe, gives the argument of same sex marriage proponents its moral force," Schmidt will say.

Politically, he will say that becoming more open and accepting is critical to reversing an alarming trend for Republicans — a shrinking coalition. He will note that Republicans should be especially concerned that McCain got crushed by Barack Obama among voters under 30, who are generally more accepting of gay couples and at odds with the GOP.
"Some Republicans believe the period of self-examination within the party necessitated by the loss of our majority status is mostly a question of whether the party should become more moderate or conservative. I think that's a false choice. We need to grow our coalition, but as I said, that's hard to do if we lose some votes while gaining others," says Schmidt.

Schmidt had previously expressed his personal support for gay marriage. Last month, he told the Washington Blade newspaper that he is in favor of legalizing it and that he voted against California's Proposition 8, which overturned a court ruling that had legalized the unions in that state.

In making the case, Schmidt is putting himself at odds with the position of John McCain, whose 2008 campaign he effectively ran.

McCain rarely talked about same-sex marriage or other social issues, but when he did, he made clear he was in line with social conservatives in opposing same-sex marriage.

"Have no doubt about my commitment to the unique status and sanctity of marriage between man and woman," McCain said on the campaign trail.

McCain's daughter Meghan has become a vocal advocate in recent months for gay marriage, and is slated to participate in the Log Cabin Republican convention this weekend.

In his speech Friday, Schmidt will acknowledge that his is a "minority view" in the GOP, but will also say, "I'm confident American public opinion will continue to move on the question toward majority support, and sooner or later the Republican Party will catch up to it."

I had a fairly restful day yesterday. I took my 2 dogs and went over to Mom's. It was just Mom, my stepfather and me, as my brother, Steve, went Karen to her dad's.

I helped Mom a small amount with making dinner and we also did some geek stuff. Mom is now on Facebook! I realized that I have about 4-5 relatives on Facebook.

My stepfather has the dining room pretty much done. It looks nice! Mom was also glad that we got to eat in there after 2 years of the room being in transit.

My brother in law will be coming through Erie on Friday, so we are scheduled to see each other.

I just had a call from a reporter from the Morning Call about Rep. Daryl Metcalfe's remarks. I made a point of trying to correct the inaccuracies that he put out there. I am feeling pretty strongly that he is NOT representing the people of his district very well; I was just down in Butler for Vertigo on Friday, and there were GLBT people and their supporters there as well.

Metcalfe: Homosexuality A "Sinful Choice."

Total People in Discussion: 0

Categories: Current Affairs

Rep. Daryl Metcalfe ...

... may have just cemented his rep as the Legislature's most conservative member.

Appearing in the pages of the Tribune-Review this morning, the Butler County Republican says he's no fan of legislation that would ban workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender orientation.

"I think it's a direct attack on family values by people who just want to force their sinful choices on the rest of us," Metcalfe told the newspaper.

More worryingly, Metcalfe appeared to suggest that a social group often picked out for discrimination, or, worse, violent attacks, wasn't entitled to any greater protection under the law than the rest of us.

"I think for somebody to choose the lifestyle of a homosexual, that's their choice," he said. "This shouldn't be considered a civil right. These individuals want special rights."

Mcall.com: Capitol Ideas with John L. Micek Blog

The government is taking too much of our wealth! We need to stress that it will be returned and not just as a trickle! Let’s tell them that conservatives want America to get a lot of their money back right away! We want a golden shower!

Furthermore, we are very much resolved about this! Our hands are resolutely held, ready to fight. Yes, America! Conservatives are fisting for you!!

Even those liberal weirdos in the arts are paying too much in taxes. I bet they have to use old instruments. I bet that someone is playing a rusty trombone right now!

I am looking forward to going to my Mom’s for Easter on Sunday. I will bring my 2 dogs so that they can frolic with Mom’s 2 dogs. My stepfather has been working for some time on remodeling the dining room, and Mom is excited that it should be ready for Sunday. Wahoo!

She also wasn’t sure what to make for dinner. Years ago, when I was in high school or college, she went to visit my grandparents in California over Easter. My dad, who is something of an iconoclast, decided that we would have tacos for Easter dinner. At the time, Mom was scandalized and shocked, so it has kind of a running family gag about Easter tacos.

Mom wasn’t sure what to make, so I said that her two obvious choices are  ham or tacos. We will see what happens.

This thing plays like the Tawdry Carnival of Lost Souls. It's like an episode of COPS, without the class and gentility.

Isn't there anyway that the rest of the country could be spared this guttersnipe display of tackiness?

I would be very happy not to hear about any of these people ever again.

The war of words between the families of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) and Levi Johnston, the father of her grandson, doesn't appear to be letting up.
In an interview on CBS News, Johnston rips the Palin family for "spreading lies about him" and portraying his family as "white trash."
Johnston also says he open to an acting or modeling gig instead of doing "odd jobs" as he is now to support his son.

Palin-Johnston Feud Heats Up
Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:44:31 GMT

Major niftiness! With the victory in Iowa last week, I am feeling that things are finally moving forward. And kudos to Vermont for being the first state to get marriage equality via the legislature.

Vermont lawmakers legalize gay marriage

Governor's veto is rejected; state becomes 4th in U.S. to take that path

Gay marriage advocate Beth Robinson, center, holds back tears following the passage of a gay marriage bill in Montpelier, Vt., on Tuesday.

View related photos

Toby Talbot / AP

updated 24 minutes ago

MONTPELIER, Vt. - Vermont on Tuesday became the fourth state to legalize gay marriage — and the first to do so with a legislature's vote.

The House recorded a dramatic 100-49 vote — the minimum needed — to override Gov. Jim Douglas' veto. Its vote followed a much easier override vote in the Senate, which rebuffed the Republican governor with a vote of 23-5.

Vermont lawmakers legalize gay marriage - Life- msnbc.com

In addition to the contest that Erie Gay News is running for Good Health Rejuvenation ($200 gift certificate for any of the procedures that they do), we also just posted a contest for the new CD, New Moon Born, by Jana Mashonee.

We already have the RSS feed for both articles and events carried by The Zone Dance Club, and now Craze Night Club is carrying both feeds as well. I have the article RSS feed including the graphics now (some clean up to do with that) and I want to see if I can also include links to photos and/or video in the RSS feed for articles.

Last night was sort of the unofficial start of Drenched Fur. Some of the guys got into town early for Erie’s Bear Run weekend, and so about 25 of us or so went out to have dinner at TGI Friday’s. It was very nice. One of the wait staff was a guy who came to Splash Lagoon. (Not a bear, but very cool.)

Hunky straight Rich and his fiancée, Diana, had also gone out to eat and the staff mentioned that the front area was taken up by a large group of gay men. I am not sure if they thought Rich might feel uncomfortable or threatened. Of course, Rich wondered if I was there, and he and Diana came over for some very pleasant conversation. (I.e. they heard that there were queers around, and wondered whether I was involved. Good guess.)

Gary, the coordinator for the run, said after they left, “Let me guess. Pagan?” So I confirmed. So, the 2 minority communities that I belong to seem to be pretty comfortable with each other.

Gary also mentioned that 2 of us cousins were also at the restaurant. (I believe that all 3 cousins where there independently.) This is Erie. We don’t get to 6 degrees of separation. We’re lucky to get to 3!

Can I just say, “YAY!” This is a very uplifting and welcome decision. It is my very firm belief that years from now, those who oppose marriage equality will be regarded exactly like those who opposed interracial marriage, segregation and equal rights for women; archaic bigots clinging to their prejudices while issuing all sorts of ludicrous predictions that have no basis in fact. Again, it is well documented that Massachusetts has the lowest per capita divorce rate in the country and that has remained the lowest since they allowed equal marriage rights for all couples. No one has married their goat or their grandmother or any of the other crazy predictions, which are extraordinarily similar to what was proposed when interracial marriage was allowed.

(CNN) -- The Iowa Supreme Court struck down a state law Friday that banned same-sex marriage, plaintiff's attorneys said.   Iowa becomes the third state in the nation to allow same-sex marriage, after Massachusetts and Connecticut. Friday's decision upheld a 2007 ruling by a lower court that Iowa's 1998 law limiting marriage to heterosexual couples went against the state's constitution. It becomes effective in 21 days. "This is a great day for civil rights in Iowa," said attorney Dennis Johnson, a co-counsel with Lambda Legal, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of six same-sex couples seeking to marry in Iowa. "Go get married. Live happily ever after," he said at a news conference where there was loud clapping among plaintiffs.

Iowa high court strikes down same-sex marriage ban - CNN.com