PFLAG Applauds Iowa Marriage Decision

“Today, America’s Heart Can Truly Be Found in the Heartland,” says group

Des Moines, IA – In a landmark decision released earlier today, the Iowa Supreme Court has affirmed a lower court ruling finding that the state must recognize full marriage equality for same-sex couples.  In a unanimous ruling, the court’s justices found that to deny same-sex couples access to marriage violates the Equal Protection clause of the Iowa constitution.  The court wrote that it was “firmly convinced the exclusion of gay and lesbian people from the institution of civil marriage does not substantially further any important governmental objective,” adding that, “The legislature has excluded a historically disfavored class of persons from a supremely important civil institution without a constitutionally sufficient justification.”

“Today, America’s heart can truly be found in the heartland,” said Jody M. Huckaby, executive director of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG).  “At last, every family in Iowa will be afforded the rights, protections and responsibilities that their commitments deserve.  Without a single page of dissent, the shepherds of Iowa’s constitution have risen to the defense of loving couples and upheld the most noble idea of our legal system: that, indeed, we are created, and must be treated, equally under the law.  We congratulate our friends in Iowa, including our allies at One Iowa and Lambda Legal, for this truly significant victory.”

Iowa becomes the third state in the nation to recognize marriage equality, following similar victories in Massachusetts and Connecticut.  California voters rolled back a similar decision in November, and that state’s high court is currently considering the fate of thousands of couples who were legally married.

“Every family in Iowa can find solace and strength in this momentous decision,” said Linda Trudeau, a member of PFLAG’s Ames, Iowa chapter whose daughter, Shawna has been with her partner for nine years.  “Today, our state has honored our family, including my two beautiful grandsons, by declaring that no family can be deemed ‘less than’ in the eyes of the law.  Eight years ago, my daughter was united, in her heart, through a commitment ceremony with her partner.  At last, they can be united under the law, too.  Our government can do nothing more powerful than keep families together, and protect them under the law, and the state of Iowa has now lived up to that promise for lesbian and gay couples, too.”

According to The Williams Institute at the University of California-Los Angeles, there are an estimated 5,200 same-sex couples currently living in Iowa, nearly 20 percent of whom are raising children.  Same-sex couples, The Williams Institute has found, live in every county in the state.

For more information on PFLAG’s efforts to promote marriage equality, visit www.pflag.org.

PFLAG Praises Historic Vermont Vote on Marriage Equality
State Becomes 4th to Fully Recognize Same-Sex Couples
& First To Successfully Implement Marriage Through a Legislative Vote

PFLAG Statement on California's Proposition 8 Vote
"Families Are Defined by a Love, and Commitment,
That Is Beyond the Barriers of a Ballot"

http://community.pflag.org/Page.aspx?pid=997

Washington, DC – Jody M. Huckaby, executive director of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), released the following statement today, following news that California voters have approved Proposition 8, a measure to roll back marriage equality in the nation's most populous state:

"While our families have encountered a heartbreaking obstacle on the road to full equality in California, the broad coalition of Americans who support fundamental rights for everyone will continue to work towards a day when the dignity of every American is respected.  Families are defined by a love, and a commitment, that is beyond the barriers of a ballot.  No struggle for equality is won easily, and great strides do not come without great strife.  They also, however, require the great strength necessary to push forward in the wake of disappointment and persevere in the face of pain.

"On Tuesday, millions of Californians stood with our families and valiantly tried to beat back a mean-spirited, un-American attack on LGBT people.  While we fell short of the majority we needed to prevail, each time the public has addressed this issue, those who stand with us grow in number.  A decade ago, it would have been unthinkable that so many people would have endorsed marriage equality at the ballot box.  If we continue the critical work we began this year, it will be unthinkable, a decade from now, that anyone would not.

"All of us at PFLAG remain committed to securing the rights our families and loved ones deserve.  With a new Administration and new Congress in Washington, there are many reasons to believe that we will soon prevail.  As Dr. King to eloquently reminded us, '[T]he arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.'  On Tuesday, millions of Californians tilted that arc a little bit closer to liberty, and we must now commit ourselves to finding the strength we need to finish the work they have begun."

PFLAG promotes the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons, their families and friends through: support, to cope with an adverse society; education, to enlighten an ill-informed public; and advocacy, to end discrimination and to secure equal civil rights. Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays provides opportunity for dialogue about sexual orientation and gender identity, and acts to create a society that is healthy and respectful of human diversity.

http://community.pflag.org/Page.aspx?pid=993

Following State Ballot Votes on LGBT Equality in Three States, PFLAG Awaits Outcome in California

Vows to Continue Support, Education & Advocacy Efforts

Washington, DC – Following disappointing votes rolling back or denying full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens in Florida, Arkansas and Arizona, Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) eagerly awaits the official results of Proposition 8 in California, and vows to continue working with pro-equality families and allies to build support for full, fundamental rights for the LGBT community. 

"PFLAG's core mission of support, education and advocacy for our LGBT loved ones is more critical than ever," said Jody M. Huckaby, the group's executive director. "Though we fell short of protecting our families on this election day in three states, we are hopeful for marriage equality to prevail in California. PFLAG parents and allies shared their stories, talked about their loved ones and made personal appeals to voters in three states, making a significant difference. As we move forward and continue that work, we can build a critical mass of support that will be invaluable in future fights, too."

Three LGBT-specific ballot initiatives passed on Tuesday. In Florida and Arizona, voters approved constitutional amendments barring recognition of same-sex couples, including, in Florida, civil unions and domestic partnerships. And in Arkansas, voters approved a measure prohibiting the placement of foster children in homes with unmarried citizens. The Arkansas measure was specifically aimed at LGBT foster parents, but will also impact unmarried heterosexual foster parents as well.

In California, votes are still being counted and will determine the fate of Proposition 8, which could eliminate marriage equality for same-sex couples in the state. 

"Despite some setbacks, millions of people voted with us, and against discrimination, and we will work to grow that coalition of allies and move equality forward." Huckaby said. "We are watching California closely and we must not be deterred from continuing to work for full equality for LGBT Americans,"

PFLAG promotes the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons, their families and friends through: support, to cope with an adverse society; education, to enlighten an ill-informed public; and advocacy, to end discrimination and to secure equal civil rights. Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays provides opportunity for dialogue about sexual orientation and gender identity, and acts to create a society that is healthy and respectful of human diversity. 

http://community.pflag.org/Page.aspx?pid=992

Jody M. Huckaby, executive director of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) released the following statement following the election of President-Elect Barack Obama:

"All of us at PFLAG congratulate President-Elect Obama on his victory this evening.  Tonight, our country has turned an historic corner, electing our first African-American commander-in-chief.  As a United States Senator, and a candidate for the Presidency of theUnited States, Obama has been a steadfast friend to the LGBT community, our families and friends.  We look forward to working with the new administration, and new Congress, in moving equality forward for our families and friends. 

"Tonight, old prejudices have fallen, and outdated barriers have been broken.  For those of us with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) loved ones, the significance of this moment cannot be underestimated.  President-Elect Obama will arrive in the Oval Office as a remarkable advocate for our community and our families.  He will be the first sitting chief executive to support repeal of the military's prejudicial 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' ban on LGBT Americans, and the first occupant of the White House to support federal recognition of same-sex relationships.  We believe our families have an invaluable ally in the White House, and LGBT Americans have a champion for 'liberty and justice for all.'  We join our country in congratulating pro-equality candidates for Congress as well, as it appears we have obtained a significant majority of fair-minded candidates in both houses of Congress. Even as we await the results of ballot initiatives on marriage equality and adoption, we take great hope and inspiration in President-Elect Obama's victory.

"In her 1993 inaugural poem to the nation, one of America's greatest treasures, Dr. Maya Angelou, implored our nation to 'lift up your eyes to the day breaking for you; give birth again to the dream.'  This evening, we have heeded Dr. Angelou's call, and we embark on a new journey for America.  PFLAG's family, friends, supporters and volunteers are proud to join President-Elect Obama on that journey, and we salute his historic victory on this unforgettable election day in America."

PFLAG promotes the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons, their families and friends through: support, to cope with an adverse society; education, to enlighten an ill-informed public; and advocacy, to end discrimination and to secure equal civil rights. Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays provides opportunity for dialogue about sexual orientation and gender identity, and acts to create a society that is healthy and respectful of human diversity.

PFLAG Heralds Marriage Equality Decision in Connecticut
State Becomes 3^rd in Country to Legalize Marriage Equality for Same-Sex Couples

Washington, DC – Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) heralded a decision from the Connecticut Supreme Court, released today, legalizing marriage equality for same-sex couples.  Eight same-sex couples challenged the state's ban on marriage in 2004, arguing that their constitutional rights to equal protection and due process were violated when they were denied marriage licenses.  Today, the Supreme Court agreed with the couples, making the state the third in the country, along with Massachusetts and California, to officially recognize same-sex marriage.

"PFLAG congratulates our friends, and celebrates with our families, in Connecticut today," said Jody M. Huckaby, the group's executive director.  "The Connecticut Supreme Court has ruled in favor of families, in recognition of our fundamental right to marry the person we love and in the best interest of our core belief in liberty and justice for all.  All families are stronger when every family is recognized and protected by the law.  No loving couple should face discrimination and prejudice and today's ruling eliminates those barriers once and for all."

In its ruling, the court found that, "the institution of marriage carries with it a status and significance that the newly created classification of civil unions does not embody," and, as such, "the state's bar

against same sex marriage infringes on a fundamental right in violation of due process and discriminates on the basis of sex in violation of equal protection."

"[O]ur conventional understand of marriage must yield to a more contemporary appreciation of the rights entitled to constitutional protection," the court concluded.  Doing so, it found, "leads inevitably to the conclusion that gay persons are entitled to marry the otherwise qualified same-sex partner of their choice.  To decide otherwise would require us to apply one set of constitutional principles to gay persons and another to all others." The decision concluded by find that, "same-sex couples cannot be denied the freedom to marry."

"Today, Connecticut couples have won an essential victory in the struggle for basic legal rights and the dignity of all people," said Huckaby.  "Tomorrow, and every day after that, all of us at PFLAG will remain vigilant in ensuring that those rights are never denied again and never taken away from those we love.  Equality is moving forward, slowly but surely, in state after state.  None of us must rest, however, until every state recognizes the rights of every citizen."

For more information on PFLAG's work in support of marriage equality, visit www.pflag.org.