June 3, 2009: This Week: Support Sotomayor; Maddow Exposes Iowa Extremists

Submitted by justin on Wed, 2009-06-03 15:01

June 3, 2009 www.oneiowa.org

Pride Ride Rescheduled: See Below for New Date and to Register!

A Justice for All – Judge Sonia Sotomayor

This week, we ask you to take action on President Obama's Supreme Court Nominee. One Iowa is proud to join with civil rights groups across the state and country to support the confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the US Supreme Court. Judge Sotomayor has a demonstrated record of excellence and integrity and will bring a common sense understanding of how laws affect the daily realities of people's lives.

If confirmed, Sotomayor would be the first Latina Justice on the Court. Born to a Puerto Rican family, Judge Sotomayor grew up in a public housing project in the South Bronx. Driven by her mother's belief in the power of education and her own work ethic, Sotomayor excelled in school, eventually graduating from Yale Law School. Judge Sotomayor deserves a fair and impartial confirmation process and would make an excellent addition to the US Supreme Court. Please contact Senators Grassley and Harkin now to express your support for Judge Sotomayor and a fair and impartial confirmation process!

Upcoming Events

June 5, 2009 First Friday Breakfast Club Click for more details June 5, 2009 5:30 PM Matthew Shepard Scholarship Awards Dinner featuring Judy Shepard Click for more information June 7, 2009 5:30-8:00 PM Gay Wedding Expo Top of the Tower Downtown Holiday Inn, Des Moines A portion of the proceeds go to One Iowa Additional details June 9, 2009 7:00 PM Ames PFLAG Meeting Youth and Shelter Services, Paul Room 420 Kellogg Ave, Ames More information June 11, 2009 6:00 PM Queer Youth Discussion Group First Meeting GEEZ Louise 515 28th St., Suite 106, Des Moines More information June 11, 2009 7:00 PM Clarence Page on Marriage Equality Iowa State Historical Building 600 E. Locust St., Des Moines June 12, 2009 5:30 PM One Iowa Happy Hour Dos Rios 316 Court Ave., Des Moines June 13-14, 2009 Capital City Pride Events Click for more details Volunteer with One Iowa June 19th, 6 PM PRIDE Patio Party at the Sheraton Hotel 210 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City June 20, 2009 Omaha Pridefest Lewis & Clark Landing 515 N. Riverfront Dr, Omaha, NE Volunteer with One Iowa June 20, 2009 Iowa City/Cedar Rapids Corridor Pride Upper City Park, Shelter 3 200 W Park Rd, Iowa City Volunteer with One Iowa June 21, 2009 2:00-4:00 PM Interfaith & Affirming Churches Picnic LeClaire Park, Beiderbeck Dr, Davenport, IA June 21, 2009 4:00 PM Colors Across the River for Equality (CARE) Centennial Bridge over Mississippi River Join 500 LGBT and ally Quad Citians as they hold 1000 PRIDE flags across the bridge. Participation in the event is free and you can keep your rainbow PRIDE flag for just $5. Contact Rich Hendricks with questions at richdhendricks@msn.com June 27, 2009 Quad Cities Pride LeClaire Park Beiderbeck Dr., Davenport Volunteer with One Iowa

Howard Dean Recap!

Governor Howard Dean visited Iowa last week and shared his support for the freedom to marry in Iowa. He also praised Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal and Speaker of the House Pat Murphy for their leadership. For those who couldn't attend, Governor Dean recorded a special message to One Iowa supporters. See it now!

Governor Dean has been a fearless advocate for equality and we're grateful for his support for marriage equality in the Heartland. One Iowa Board Chair, Sharon Malheiro has prepared a letter expressing our gratitude to Governor Dean that you may view here. The visit also generated attention from the press. Here's a roundup of some of the best coverage: IowaPolitics.com: Dean doubts ballot-box influence... Includes photos, audio of Dean's speech, and an interview with Dean. Radio Iowa: Dean predicts gay marriage will be a "non-issue" in 2010 Iowa Independent: State legislative leaders vow no action on gay marriage Bleeding Heartland: Dean reminds us how far we've come...

Pride Ride Rescheduled

To better accommodate additional riders, this year's PRIDE Ride has been rescheduled for October 10th, during National Coming Out Week. Please click here to reserve your spot and stay tuned for additional details on the upcoming ride!

EXTREME RIGHT WATCH: THEY'LL STOP AT NOTHING

Rachel Maddow Profiles Iowa Extremists: "Encouraging Violence" Iowans Steve Deace, David Leach, and Dan Holman defend Dr. Tiller's Murder Steve Deace again makes our Extreme Right Watch - this week for defending the murder of Kansas abortion provider, Dr. George Tiller. Tiller was gunned down by an anti-choice extremist Scott Roeder at his church last Sunday in front of family and friends. It's no coincidence that many of the same extremists who defend violence against abortion providers also seek to deny gay and lesbian families the protections of marriage. No matter where you stand, we can all agree that violence is never an appropriate response.

Watch Now!

For additional information about reproductive freedom in Iowa, visit our partners at Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa.

One Iowa Welcomes New Director of Development

One Iowa recently hired Jeremy Lewis as the new Director of Development. Jeremy brings a wealth of fundraising experience to One Iowa and will be tasked with building a strong and sustainable donor base to support our efforts. Welcome to the team Jeremy!

Click Here to Read Jeremy's Bio

Jeremy Lewis

MARRIAGE MATTERS: FAMILIES IN FOCUS

Dean and Gary from Mason City

Dean Genth and Gary Swenson from Mason City were married last Sunday. Their wedding in Mason City's Music Man Square was attended by over 400, was officiated by Soulfource founder Rev. Mel White, featured the Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus, and was covered by media from as far away as Norway! Dean and Gary have been wonderful supporters of One Iowa and allowed us to share with you a brief excerpt from their wedding program:

"This is a day long hoped for, but one many of us never dreamed possible during our lifetimes. This was always a dream for future generations, but who could be so bold as to claim it for oneself? Yet dreamers were bold, and fought for change today rather than tomorrow. Because of those visionaries, those bold challengers of the status quo, we sit here today to witness history. We are party to an event few in Iowa have yet had the privilege of experiencing."

GET INVOLVED: MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Volunteer for One Iowa at Pride events around the state! Click on the Pride at which you wish to volunteer to sign up: June 14: Capital City Pride June 20: Omaha Pridefest June 20: Iowa City/Cedar Rapids Corridor Pride June 27: Quad Cities Pride Phone for Equality! Join One Iowa for one of our nightly phone banks Sunday through Thursday. Never phoned before? No problem - our staff will give you all the tools you need to succeed and spread our message of equality! Sign up for a shift now!

In the News

June 1 KIMT Mason City (Video): "I Pronounce You Husband and Husband" Gary Swenson and Dean Genth exchanged vows at Music Man Square Sunday. The Mason City couple says it's a day they didn't think would happen. June 3 Des Moines Register: Wedding Day Kelly Bertelsen and Lori Septer have no need for a wedding registry. “We’ve got the gift, because they’re allowing us to get married,” Septer said. “That’s all we wanted. We’re not looking for a blender or anything like that.” May 30 Radio Iowa: Culver: gay marriage not a major issue
"I really understand and appreciate the fact that there are very strong emotions on both sides of this issue, but I think the court has spoken loudly and clearly, they had a unanimous decision -- 7-0 -- granting equal rights under our constitution to everyone including those who are gay and lesbian," Culver says. "And because of that decision and the fact that it was unanimous, I do not believe longterm it will have a real political implication." May 31 Des Moines Register LTE: King off-track with gay-marriage focus There are far too many pressing problems in our country to be worried about by responsible politicians and lawmakers than trying to obstruct a person's rights based upon their sexual orientation. *We want to know what you're reading! If you see an Iowa-related LGBT news item in your local newspaper, please forward it to justin@one-iowa.org.