Several Iowa GOP lawmakers are seeking a ban on same-sex marriage. Is that even possible?
A group of Iowa lawmakers wants to ban same-sex marriage in the state.
Eight Republican members of the state House on Tuesday introduced House Joint Resolution 8 that proposesan amendment to the Iowa state Constitution that "recognizes the definition of marriage to be the solemnized union between one human biological male and one human biological female."
The proposal comes amid a flurry of anti-LGBTQ bills authored by Iowa Republicans, including bathroom bills, gender identity, and banning gender-affirming care for minors. The onslaught mirrors actions taken by GOP lawmakers nationwide.
Tuesday's legislation was introduced by Iowa state representatives Brad Sherman, Luana Stoltenberg, Mark Cisneros, Helena Hayes, Zach Dieken, Skyler Wheeler, Mark Thompson, and Thomas Gerhold. Their proposal comes more than two months after Congress ratified gay marriages and almost eight years after the U.S. Supreme Court's historic legalization of same-sex marriage in America.
Would an Iowa ban even pass?
The Iowa resolution to ban same-sex marriages would likely take a few years, if not more, to become law. It would have to be adopted by the Iowa House, and Senate and signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds. It would also have to be passed in another legislative session and then by voters.
On Wednesday, hundreds of students across Iowa left their classrooms to participate in a 'We Say Gay' walkout to protest the recent slate of bills they say discriminate against the rights of LGBTQ youth.
Students said those bills would have long-lasting, negative impacts, The Des Moines Register reported.
Ironically, Iowa became the third state in the U.S. to legalize gay marriage after the Iowa Supreme Court unanimously overturned a ban in 2009.
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Record number of anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced in the US
Last month, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) said it is tracking a record 340 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced across the country. About 150 of those bills would restrict the rights of transgender people, the highest number of bills targeting the trans community in a single year to date, HRC said.
And about 90 of those bills would prevent transgender young people from accessing age-appropriate health care, the organization added.
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A separate anti-same-sex bill also filed in Iowa
Another piece of legislation filed in Iowa Tuesday would set up a challenge to the federal Respect for Marriage Act.
House File 508 proposes that no Iowa resident "shall be compelled, coerced, or forced to recognize any same-sex unions or ceremonies as marriage," and states that no legal action can be taken against them, despite the federal measure signed into law late last year .
What is the Respect for Marriage Act?
The Respect for Marriage Act guarantees federal recognition of any marriage between two individuals if the union was valid in the state where it was performed. The law also requires states to accept the legitimacy of a valid marriage performed elsewhere//. The measure protects interracial and same-sex marriages.
So if the U.S. Supreme Court ever overturned its historic ruling legalizing same-sex marriage and if some states enforced bans, those states would still have to respect those marriages, the law states.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Iowa Republicans seeking a same-sex marriage ban. Is that possible?
