The case for marriage equality on a tv screen near you

by: desmoinesdem

Thu Apr 23, 2009 at 08:53:17 AM CDT

The full transcript of the ad is after the jump. I like the way the commercial places marriage equality and the Supreme Court's decision within the long tradition of diverse people finding freedom in Iowa under our state's Constitution. (Democratic legislative leaders cited Iowa's tradition of leadership in civil rights in their statement welcoming the Varnum v Brien decision. The historical landmarks they cited prompted Lambda Legal attorney Camilla Taylor to start building a case for marriage equality in Iowa in 2002.)

One Iowa's commercial also reminds viewers that the Supreme Court unanimously struck down discrimination and that the ruling "will not change religious marriage or how each religion defines that."

Visually, the ad mostly contains photos of Iowa landscapes, buildings and families (gay and straight), with a few words shown against a blank screen for emphasis. When the voice-over says, "some things remain the same," the word "hope" appears on the screen. When the voice-over says the Supreme Court "justices were not divided," the word "courage" appears on the screen. When the voice-over admonishes "those outsiders who want to put discrimination into our constitution," the word "respect" appears on the screen.

According to Iowa Politics, One Iowa is spending $75,000 to run this commercial for a week "in the Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, Quad Cities and Sioux City media markets; on cable stations like CNN, MSNBC, HLN, Lifetime, and HGTV; and on Des Moines broadcast stations as well."

Donating to One Iowa will help keep this ad on the air. It's a welcome contrast to the absurd scare-mongering of the National Organization for Marriage's television ad attacking gay marriage. That commercial has already been debunked by Human Rights Campaign and brutally parodied on the Colbert Report.

There is a quiet strength, that comes from this land and its people. Change happens, as in the passing of the seasons ... but some things remain the same. People came to this place from many lands - spoke different languages - held different beliefs - but they all held one hope in common - that in this place, they could find freedom. Our Supreme  Court has made a decision against discrimination - in favor of freedom.  The justices were not divided; they were unanimous in holding up a tradition - that the Constitution of Iowa is meant to protect our freedoms. This  will not change religious marriage or how each religion defines that. It does  protect civil marriage for same sex couples, and protects the freedoms of all  committed couples. And to those outsiders, who want to put discrimination into our Constitution, shame on them. This is a place where people are  respected, and a time to protect the freedoms we share. We're One Iowa, and that's why we're proud to have paid for this message.