Iowa Republicans are steering clear of
the issue of gay marriage, leaving supporters to wonder whether
support is growing in the party.
The fight to repeal Iowa's law began
the day the Iowa Supreme Court legalized it in 2009. Social
conservatives vowed to take the issue to the people.
In 2010, lawmakers in the
Republican-controlled House approved a constitutional amendment which
sought to define marriage as a heterosexual union. But the effort
has been blocked in the Senate by Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, who
easily won re-election in November despite a high-profile effort to
defeat him.
After a month in session, Republican
lawmakers have yet to mount another attempt. They said their focus
is elsewhere.
“We have already voted on that,”
House Majority Leader Linda Upmeyer told
the AP. “I don't know if a bill will be filed. It may or may
not be. The Senate hasn't changed. The House hasn't changed. We
will support the issue, but the Senate isn't going to take it up.”
Jeff Angelo, a former Republican
senator who in 2011 launched Iowa Republicans for Freedom, which
makes the conservative case for marriage equality, said he thinks the
party is slowly shifting its views on the issue.
“I think there's growing support in
the Republican ranks for same-gender marriage, particularly in a
state where it is the law of the state. There has been no disaster
visited on the state because there has been same-sex marriage,”
Angelo said. “I think there are some that have friends, relatives
that are gay that would rather just let this go.”
(Related: Iowa
GOP chair describes democrats as “gay marriage party.”)