Former Iowa state Senator Jeff Angelo,
who once backed a gay marriage ban amendment, will helm a new group
for conservatives who support gay marriage.
Angelo is expected to unveil his new
group Republicans for Freedom next week, the Des Moines Register
reported.
“This debate centers around the
devaluation of the lives of a select group of people,” Angelo told
lawmakers at a public hearing earlier this year. “At its worst, we
are being asked to believe that our gay friends are involved in a
nefarious agenda. The outcome of which, supposedly, is the
unraveling of society itself.”
In 2006, the former Senator
co-sponsored an amendment that sought to define marriage as a
heterosexual union in the Iowa Constitution. A successful effort
would have prevented the Iowa Supreme Court from legalizing the
institution in 2009.
And ironically, Angelo credits getting
to know married gay couples for his change of heart.
“I don't think this debate reflects
the character of Iowans, the culture of Iowa,” he
told the paper. “Iowa is culturally a state that is very
welcoming, that celebrates its people, is very protective of its
people.”
A Gallup poll released last week found
that only 28
percent of Republicans support giving gay and lesbian couples the
right to marry. A Public Policy Polling survey found even less
support for marriage among GOPers, only 12%. However, 39%
percent of respondents said they support civil unions for gay
couples.