Greetings,

It's been six months since the Iowa Supreme Court issued their unanimous decision to allow same-sex couples the freedom to marry in the state of Iowa. But the struggle to protect marriage equality has only just begun. As we've seen in California and Maine, these freedoms are never as secure as we hope.

The Iowa legislative session is set to begin in January, and a roster of anti-gay gubernatorial candidates is pledging to take away the freedoms we've worked so hard to achieve. One candidate even flaunts the idea of defying the Iowa Supreme Court ruling with an executive order, barring the door to committed couples who want to marry.

At this critical juncture, One Iowa will host a series of free public forums to continue our statewide conversation about marriage equality. These panel discussions around the state will represent various local perspectives: same-sex couples, parents of gays and lesbians, faith and community leaders, the legal community and local businesses.  Through these forums, we hope to continue the conversation about the positive effects of marriage equality on Iowa communities.
 
We face a critical challenge in Iowa's long history of civil rights. The opposition will try to chip away at our freedoms; together, we can protect civil marriage and equality in America's Heartland.

A special welcome from Washington's Mayor Sandra Johnson will start the event! Our panel of speakers will testify to why marriage equality is important to them:

Rev. Julie Poulsen
United Methodist Church of Washington

Jen and Dawn BarbouRoske
Plaintiffs, Varnum v. Brien Iowa Supreme Court Case

Brandon Edgington
Attorney at Young & Edgington, LLC in Wellman

Ron Koehler, CFP
Financial Planner, MetLife

Please join us for our public forum!

Thursday, November 5th
7:00PM – 9:00PM
Washington Public Library
115 West Washington St
Washington, IA