Today is Iowa Gay-Straight Alliance Day

Even in today’s world, coming out can be a huge risk, especially for our LGBT youth. Many gay and lesbian teens who do come out can find themselves ostracized by teachers, peers and even family. However one state is being proactive in helping their LGBT youth.

Iowa’s Governor Chet Culver has proclaimed today, Wednesday, January 27 “Iowa Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) Day.”

The state’s Lieutenant Governor, Patty Judge, read Culver’s official proclamation Tuesday night during Iowa Pride Network’s GSA Kick-Off Party held in downtown Des Moines.

The day’s events are planned by the Iowa Pride Network, a state-wide non-profit that assists students in starting and enhancing GSA’s in high schools and colleges, offering them a statewide network of support including mentoring, advocacy and networking opportunities.

The Iowa Pride Network also helps to fight intolerance against LGBT students in by educating both law makers and teachers on issues that LGBT students face. The group also provides advocacy for LGBT students at the state and local levels.

The proclamation has been viewed by many LGBT equality advocates as a small, yet important victory in the struggle for equality as Democrats in Iowa are feeling added pressure from conservatives who want to put the Iowa Supreme Court’s recent ruling in favor of marriage equality up for a vote. Republicans have been using the court’s decision to build their campaign, promising that if elected in 2010, they will allow the public to decide the issue by popular vote. State Democrats however, including Culver, have not backed down under the pressure and continue to support the court’s decision to legalize marriage equality.

This is the fourth year Iowa GSA Day has been observed.

More about the Iowa Pride Network by CLICKING HERE!

Iowa Pride Network from BARK-BARK on Vimeo.

Iowa’s Gov Speaks OUT About Marriage

Iowa’s Governor, Chet Culver, spoke out on Tuesday about the state’s Supreme Court’s decision to allowing same-sex marriage. He stated although he disagrees with the ruling, he is “reluctant to support” a constitutional amendment to reverse the decision.

In a lengthy statement, Culver noted he had not changed his stance that marriage should be between a man and a woman claiming, “This is a tenet of my personal faith”, but also stated the court’s unanimous ruling involved only civil marriage, and that churches and other religious institutions do not have to perform them. He stated:

“The court also concluded that the denial of this right constitutes discrimination. Therefore, after careful consideration and a thorough reading of the court’s decision, I am reluctant to support amending the Iowa Constitution to add a provision that our Supreme Court has said is unlawful and discriminatory.”

Culver made his statement only a few hours after Bob Vander Plaats, a Republican candidate for governor,criticized Culver for not being more clear about where he stood on the same sex marriage ruling.