Where? Adair County supervisors demand Iowa gay marriage ban! Where?

The Adair County Board of Supervisors has passed a resolution demanding that the Iowa Legislature take action to either end same-sex marriage in Iowa, or let the public vote on the matter.

Chairman Clifford Sheriff read the resolution before the board’s vote this morning.

“Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Adair County Board of Supervisors demand that the Iowa (Legislature) resolve this issue by either passing legislation that will lead to a public vote to amend the Iowa Constitution or by passing legislation to confirm Iowa Code Section 595.2 to the Iowa Supreme Court (decision) in Varnum and Brien,” Chairman Sheriff read aloud.

The section of law Sheriff referenced is the 1998 “Defense of Marriage Act” which most legal scholars argue has been voided by the Iowa Supreme Court’s decision. The five-member Adair County Board of Supervisors passed their resolution, without debate.

“I’ll move we approve the resolution for review of the Defense of Marriage Act,” one of the supervisors said.

Another quickly added his “second” to move the process forward.

“We have a first and a second to approve the resolution,” Chairman Sheriff announced. “All in favor signify by saying, ‘Aye,’” Sheriff advised and all five replied in the affirmative.

The supervisors then continued with their board meeting.

A few Iowa city councils and county boards of supervisors have pondered similar resolutions against gay marriage. In February — two months before the Iowa Supreme Court ruling legalized gay marriage — the Sioux City City Council passed a resolution urging state legislators to set the date for a statewide vote on a constitutional amendment which would ban gay marriage.

See

Adair County supervisors demand statewide vote on gay marriage

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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/05/where-adair-c…

‘Milk’ screenwriter calls gay rights the ‘civil rights fight of your generation’

COLUMBIA — Dustin Lance Black was in high school in 1988 when he heard about Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to public office in California. Black said that at that point, he had never heard of an out gay man before, joking his first thought was that Milk must have been bad at hiding it.

Black, who won an Academy Award this year for best original screenplay for “Milk,” spoke at MU on Sunday evening. The movie, starring Sean Penn, recounts Milk’s election in 1977 to the board of supervisors in San Francisco and his murder by fellow supervisor Dan White. Penn won an Oscar for best actor.

Black’s speech at MU included some serious and not-so-serious topics that seemed to engage the mostly student crowd. Full and equal federal rights should be the goal, he told them, and not the current “bit-by-bit civil rights.”

“This is the civil rights fight of your generation,” Black said. “This is the civil rights fight of the 21st century.” See a’Milk’ screenwriter calls gay rights the ‘civil rights fight of …

Columbia Missourian