Iowa Legislature Passes LGBT Rights Bill

Ahhh, Spring, the time of year when the flowers are blooming, the birds are singing and state legislatures are in full swing, churning out legislation. Just last week Oregon's legislature passed a "gay rights bill" to a willing governor, Washington's legislature enacted domestic partnership legislation and New York's governor may introduce a marriage equality bill into that state's law-making body. Late Wednesday comes word that the unlikely state of Iowa will join Oregon in the ranks of "free states," just days after re-entry of the federal gay rights bill. The Des Moines Register reported:

Legislation to add sexual orientation to Iowa’s civil-rights laws passed the House on a bipartisan vote Wednesday, breaking a long-running stalemate over the issue.

“It is a historic vote,” said House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Des Moines Democrat. “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.”

Senate File 427 would make it illegal to discriminate in employment, public accommodation, credit, housing and education based on a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

The vote passed in a 59 to 37 vote. Nine Republicans voted in favor of the plan. Three Democrats voted against it.

[...]

Interestingly, the sticking point in Iowa was aspects of the gender identity provisions. The lower House stripped “appearance, expression, or behavior” from the gender identity section, causing the bill to go back to the Senate for a concurrence vote, which it did on a vote of 34-16.
Democratic Iowa Governor Chet Culver has previously promised to sign the bill into law.

You know the heterosexual supremacists are fighting a losing battle if LGBT rights bills are passing easily in a red state like Iowa!

I don't wanna be partisan, but note the common thread that Iowa, Oregon, Washington and New York all have Democratic governors. I guess that's just a coincidence, Log Cabin, eh?