You know, people are always like, Iowa, OMFG farmers and corn and pigs! They must all be fascist conservative Republicans! But having lived there for the first nearly twenty years of my life, my experience was that everyone was pretty laid back about whomever and whatever; and even the Republicans were pretty liberal.
I just didn't see it coming! I'm on all these lists and I get email about court cases and things, and I still didn't even know that this case was going on! Which may validate your first point :)
I try not to be all "corn-blah-blah-fascist-blah," but ... that queer marriage would hit next in a red state? Totally awesome.
that queer marriage would hit next in a red state?
Honestly, 'Republican' does not necessarily mean the same thing in Iowa that it does elsewhere. I mean. Even the hard-core conservatives I knew when I lived there ten years ago were of the opinion that people could do what they wanted with whomever they wanted just so long as they didn't make folks watch. Not completely open-minded, no, but here in Missouri people call that mindset dangerously liberal. :P
I give even odds that the ruling will be overturned, just as I do whenever I hear about a blue state making that kind of ruling, but I'm not surprised they went there in the first place.
Gosh. I'm just so darn proud of my favorite state on Earth. *floats*
(Oh, and also, the 'farmer fascist' comment wasn't directed at you in particular. I was just hyperbolizing r.e. the fact that people do seem to consider that farm state = conservative Republican. :P)
But here is what is awesome about queer marriage in a "red state," see: the whole thing that people said about Massachusetts falls down here. The defense of the anti-gay-marriage people was, well, Massachusetts, they're freaks and weirdos and People's Republic Of and whatever. In Iowa? Whatever kind of Republicans people are, they are still largely Republican. So if it lasts (I'm putting the odds worse'n 50% myself, because I've been disappointed a lot so it's easier to be pessimistic), then that defense doesn't work anymore. People won't be able to say "oh, well, they're blue-state-urban-hippy-Hollywood-blahblahwhatever, that's why there's gay marriage there." Or, well, they will be able to, but I hope everyone will laugh at them :)
That's a good point! I'm so used to being on the inside looking out in terms of Iowa, and paying more attention to the fact that people usually have the wrong idea about the state. I didn't even consider that there could be a positive aspect to the misconception.
That would be pretty cool, if it happens that way.
Hey, FWIW, New Hampshire- a red state in the last presidential election- flipped blue in the mid-term. And bounced enough Republicans to give us the first Democrat-controlled state legislature in over a century. *And* passed a civil union law this year.
(Which is IMO silly. *rolls eyes* It's marriage. Call it marriage already. Which reminds me, I need to write some pointed letters to my state reps to that effect.)
Which, okay, I'm sure you already knew. But I'm darned pleased about it- I think we're the only state who's done it without the threat of a court case. And it's nice to feel like my state government actually did something useful.
I hope the Iowa court sticks to their guns. It's about time for random outbreaks of sanity across the nation.
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no subject
Date: 2007-08-31 01:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-31 02:25 am (UTC)*uses Iowa icon*
Date: 2007-08-31 01:42 am (UTC)You know, people are always like, Iowa, OMFG farmers and corn and pigs! They must all be fascist conservative Republicans! But having lived there for the first nearly twenty years of my life, my experience was that everyone was pretty laid back about whomever and whatever; and even the Republicans were pretty liberal.
*hugs Iowa* God, I miss living there.
Re: *uses Iowa icon*
Date: 2007-08-31 01:48 am (UTC)I try not to be all "corn-blah-blah-fascist-blah," but ... that queer marriage would hit next in a red state? Totally awesome.
Re: *uses Iowa icon*
Date: 2007-08-31 02:05 am (UTC)Honestly, 'Republican' does not necessarily mean the same thing in Iowa that it does elsewhere. I mean. Even the hard-core conservatives I knew when I lived there ten years ago were of the opinion that people could do what they wanted with whomever they wanted just so long as they didn't make folks watch. Not completely open-minded, no, but here in Missouri people call that mindset dangerously liberal. :P
I give even odds that the ruling will be overturned, just as I do whenever I hear about a blue state making that kind of ruling, but I'm not surprised they went there in the first place.
Gosh. I'm just so darn proud of my favorite state on Earth. *floats*
Re: *uses Iowa icon*
Date: 2007-08-31 02:09 am (UTC)Re: *uses Iowa icon*
Date: 2007-08-31 02:16 am (UTC)But here is what is awesome about queer marriage in a "red state," see: the whole thing that people said about Massachusetts falls down here. The defense of the anti-gay-marriage people was, well, Massachusetts, they're freaks and weirdos and People's Republic Of and whatever. In Iowa? Whatever kind of Republicans people are, they are still largely Republican. So if it lasts (I'm putting the odds worse'n 50% myself, because I've been disappointed a lot so it's easier to be pessimistic), then that defense doesn't work anymore. People won't be able to say "oh, well, they're blue-state-urban-hippy-Hollywood-blahblahwhatever, that's why there's gay marriage there." Or, well, they will be able to, but I hope everyone will laugh at them :)
Re: *uses Iowa icon*
Date: 2007-08-31 02:24 am (UTC)That would be pretty cool, if it happens that way.
Re: *uses Iowa icon*
Date: 2007-08-31 02:46 am (UTC)(Which is IMO silly. *rolls eyes* It's marriage. Call it marriage already. Which reminds me, I need to write some pointed letters to my state reps to that effect.)
Which, okay, I'm sure you already knew. But I'm darned pleased about it- I think we're the only state who's done it without the threat of a court case. And it's nice to feel like my state government actually did something useful.
I hope the Iowa court sticks to their guns. It's about time for random outbreaks of sanity across the nation.
no subject
Date: 2007-08-31 02:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-31 04:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-31 04:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-31 02:50 pm (UTC)