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Iowa Greens Celebrate Court Ruling as Step Towards Equality Green Party of Iowa August 31, 2007 DES MOINES, IA - The Iowa Green Party heralds this week's court decision in Varnum v. Brien, which opened the door for same-sex marriages in the state, as yet another positive step towards full equality for all citizens, regardless of sexual orientation, and welcomes the discussion that will ensue in our State Legislature. The Green Party's Ten Key Values (http://www.gp.org/tenkey.shtml) state the party's vision for social justice. "All persons should have the rights and opportunity to benefit equally from the resources afforded us by society and the environment. We must consciously confront in ourselves, our organizations, and society at large, barriers such as racism and class oppression, sexism and homophobia, ageism and disability, which act to deny fair treatment and equal justice under the law." Daryl Northrop, co-chair of the Iowa Green Party, noted the historical nature of this decision. "It was only a generation ago that laws banning interracial marriage were still on the books. Just this spring we celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Loving decision, which struck down these discriminatory laws for interracial couples. Today's Varnum decision is an equally important step in advancing equal justice under the law for all citizens." "It's a step in the right direction, towards equality," was the Burlington Hawkeye quote from Richard Johnson, former Green Party candidate for Lt. Governor, in response to District Court Judge Robert Hanson's decision regarding Iowa's Defense of Marriage Act The judge overturned the law, citing the inherent unfairness of limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples. The decision further ordered the Polk County Recorder to begin issuing marriage licenses in a gender-neutral manner, thus opening a path in Polk County for same-sex marriage. The Iowa Green Party has been active since 2000 promoting social justice and equal rights for all Iowans, and will be actively engaged in the continuing struggle for full marriage rights for our state's GLBT community. For further information contact co-chairs Daryl Northrop at dnorthrop@polkcogreens.org (515-229-9638) or Wendy Barth at peacenik@usa.net (319-363-5345) Iowa Green Party
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