skrapnel

The two minute speech, below, from Iowa’s Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal made me cry.

Shortly after the unanimous decision by the Iowa Supreme Court, the Senate Minority Leader Paul McKinley asked Sen Gronstal to go in with him on  bill to change the constitution.  Gronstal denied it, quoting his daughter:

One of my daughters was in the workplace one day, and her particular workplace at that moment in time, there were a whole bunch of conservative, older men. And those guys were talking about gay marriage. They were talking about discussions going on across the country.

Any my daughter Kate, after listening for about 20 minutes, said to them: You guys dont understand. Youve already lost. My generation doesnt care.

To our generation, it doesn’t matter. We have grown up watching people of different races and sexual preferences on TV.  It might seem trite now, but shows like “The Real World” helped pave the way to a better understanding of one another. We really aren’t all that different.

We also understand that there are more important issues in the world than stopping two people from loving each other—-poverty in America and universal health care being two of them.  Let’s get past the culture wars and start bringing this country together instead of dividing it.

By granting equal rights for all, Gronstal thinks everyone wins:

As a matter of fact, last Friday night, I hugged my wife. You know Ive been married for 37 years. I hugged my wife. I felt like our love was just a little more meaningful last Friday night because thousands of other Iowa citizens could hug each other and have the state recognize their love for each other.

Does denying marriage from a class of citizens strengthen the love of those already together? Or does denying that right sully the whole institution?

Here’s a video of the speech.  Full text follows below.  How does it make you feel?  Is it generational?

Transcript

One of my daughters was in the workplace one day, and her particular workplace at that moment in time, there were a whole bunch of conservative, older men. And those guys were talking about gay marriage. They were talking about discussions going on across the country.

Any my daughter Kate, after listening for about 20 minutes, said to them: You guys dont understand. Youve already lost. My generation doesnt care.

I think I learned something from my daughter that day, when she said that. And Ive talked with other people about it and thats what I see, Senator McKinley. I see a bunch of people that merely want to profess their love for each other, and want state law to recognize that.

Is that so wrong? I dont think thats so wrong. As a matter of fact, last Friday night, I hugged my wife. You know Ive been married for 37 years. I hugged my wife. I felt like our love was just a little more meaningful last Friday night because thousands of other Iowa citizens could hug each other and have the state recognize their love for each other.

No, Senator McKinley, I will not co-sponsor a leadership bill with you.