Briana, Cedar Falls

For most students, the four-year high school experience is filled with a little bit of studying and quite a bit of partying and dating. For me, a politics junkie, an unapologetic nerd, a committed student, and an out bisexual, the experience was a little bit different. Partying has never really been my cup of tea, and I must confess that being one of the few out bisexuals in an Iowa school makes dating more of a Q and A session than an opportunity to build a relationship. This left my high school years open for other activities, such as extracurriculars and activism.

My personal commitment to equality paired with a somewhat hostile environment for GLBT youth across the state fueled my love affair with political activism for GLBT rights. Conveniently, during my junior year two critical bills were being thrown around the state legislature. The first was an anti-harassment policy that would protect all Iowa students, including GLBT students, from harassment. The second was an anti-discrimination measure that would add sexual orientation and gender identity to the state civil rights code. As one of the leaders of my school's Gay-Straight Alliance, I knew that there were several students at my high school who shared my same passion for activism. As a group, we lobbied for both initiatives, and fortunately, they both passed.

As a recent graduate from high school, it is hard for me to believe that my days of crusading around the high school working with our GSA to promote awareness of equality issues are over. I'm headed off to Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, this fall to a very different climate for GLBT people. My future goals include working as a political advocate and, eventually, returning to Iowa to be a high school social studies teacher.

My twenty-year plan, unfortunately, has one major fault. When I grow up, I hope to live in an area where I can marry whomever I want, whether that is a man or a woman. Right now, Iowa is not that place. I love Iowa. I love the friendly people. I love the clean air. I love the wonderful education system. However, if I cannot say "I do" to the love of my life and sign my name on the line of a legally binding document, I cannot live here. And that is why I so deeply value marriage equality in the state of Iowa.