Iowa continues to be progressive

All around the nation, people are celebrating that Iowa became one of only a few states to legalize gay marriage in the United States. People are shocked that Iowa, a state with such core Midwestern values, would take such a “drastic” measure.

The problem is, people forget that Iowa has been a progressive state for more than 150 years. Doing these sorts of forward-thinking things has never scared a group of Iowans. You don’t have to look far to find tons of examples, either.

Outside of the Office of the Registrar at the University of Iowa sits a rock commemorating that the institution was the first one in the nation to admit women on an equal basis, way back in 1855.

Iowa is also the home to the first female school district superintendent. Phoebe Sudlow of Davenport was appointed Superintendent way back in 1874.

Forty years prior to the 19th amendment being passed that allowed women to vote, Iowa was ahead of the curve. The state allowed both males and females alike to vote on bond issues in the 1880s, an unprecedented and mostly forgotten piece of history.

Don’t forget, either, that Iowa was the first state to admit women to the bar – and no, we’re not talking about Mojos, we’re talking about the Iowa Bar Association. Women have been coming to Iowa for years because of equal treatment, whether it be on grounds of admission to school or in the professional world.

And, of course, Iowa was etched into the history books by Tinker v. Des Moines in 1969, when two students stood up to school officials for their right to protest the Vietnam conflict. The historic United States Supreme Court decision reminded us that “rights do not stop at the school house doors.”

Now, during such an historic week, we are reminded that a human’s rights do not stop at our state’s borders. In fact, we are living up to our old state motto: “Fields of opportunities.” There is no longer a divide in the liberties granted to citizens of our great state based on their sexual orientation.

We’ve got other problems in the state. Our budget is unbalanced, we have tie-ups in the state house about how to resolve it. It looks like we’re going nowhere fast. But don’t be fooled – Iowa is continuing to move forward. Forward for the rights of our people, our state’s most precious resource, even above our bountiful crops and livestock.

If you take a look at the Iowa state flag, the banner the eagle is holding says “Our liberties we prize, and our rights we will maintain.”

We have lived up to our word.