• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / Crime / Courts / Leader of anti-gay marriage effort dismisses “Iowa Republicans for Freedom”

Leader of anti-gay marriage effort dismisses “Iowa Republicans for Freedom”

June 2, 2011 By O. Kay Henderson

A Republican who’s leading the effort to ban “same-sex” marriage in Iowa dismisses a new pro-gay marriage group called “Iowa Republicans for Freedom” as out-of-step with Iowans.

Jeff Angelo of Ames supported a ban on gay marriage in Iowa when he was a state senator representing southwest Iowa, but Angelo says he’s changed his thinking on the issue and wants to get his party to change, too. Bob Vander Plaats is the president and CEO of The Family Leader, a group that promotes “traditional” marriage between a man and a woman.

“I don’t see Republicans embracing this from Jeff. I don’t see conservatives embracing this from Jeff,” Vander Plaats says. “As a matter of fact, I think most Republicans and most conservatives are going to look at this as, ‘Oh, this is politics as usual. They’ll say one thing to get our vote. They’ll say another thing when they’re in office and then once they leave office, they’re going to say another thing.'”  

A Gallup poll released this week found 66 percent of those between the ages of 18 and 34 think gay and lesbian relationships are morally acceptable. Angelo says he’s formed “Iowa Republicans for Freedom” so his party doesn’t continue to lose ground with younger voters.  Vander Plaats isn’t interested in Angelo’s math.

“If Jeff wants to be the politician who runs to where the numbers are going to be, that shows us, you know, there are just no core values,” Vander Plaats says. “And we’re looking for people with core values.”

Vander Plaats led the successful effort last year to oust three Iowa Supreme Court justices who had signed onto the court’s unanimous, 2009 ruling on same-sex marriage.  That group’s name was “Iowa for Freedom.” Angelo has named his new, pro-gay marriage group “Iowa Republicans for Freedom.”

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Crime / Courts, Politics / Govt Tagged With: Iowa Caucuses, Legislature, Republican Party, Same-Sex Marriage

Featured Stories

Exhibit features lesser known works of Grant Wood

Testing finds 21 new CWD cases in deer

It may become a crime in Iowa to use fake urine in workplace drug tests

February trending 18 degrees below average temperature

Iowa House Education Committee votes to end tenure at UI, ISU, UNI

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

Iowa State looks to avoid winless Big-12 season

New look and new format at girls’ state basketball

Youngstown State takes action against assistant football coach

Iowa’s Jack Nunge lost for the season

Key stretch begins for #9 Iowa

More Sports

eNews and Updates

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Archives

Copyright © 2021 · Learfield News & Ag, LLC