Good news out of Iowa. A civil rights bill that would protect gays and lesbians from discrimination in housing and employment flew through the Iowa House (59-37) and Senate (34-16) on Wednesday, and now heads to the desk of Iowa governor Chet Culver, who has indicated he'll sign the bill.
Said House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (D-Des Moines): “It is a historic vote. I also think it was a mainstream vote. This was not some sort of liberal social agenda. This is just saying that under housing and employment, people should not be discriminated based upon their real or perceived sexual orientation.”
The bill has been pushed for years, according to the Globe Gazette: “Janelle Rettig of Iowa City has worked for about 17 years to get Iowa to adopt a civil rights measure protecting gays and lesbians. She hadn't expected it to pass this year. ‘I couldn't be prouder of my state than today,' Rettig said. Rettig recently was appointed and confirmed to the state's Natural Resource Commission, but had feared the fact that she is a lesbian would mean she might not be confirmed by the Iowa Senate. ‘We couldn't ask for more than to be judged by who we are and how well we work and the potential to be good citizens,' Rettig said.”
Iowa House approves gay rights bill; Culver guarantees signature [globe gazette]
Legislators support bill protecting gay rights [des moines register]
House approves gay rights bill [sioux city journal]
