Klansman to Organize Iowa Same-Sex Marriage Protest
Thu. December 29, 2005 12:00 AM by GayWebMonkey.com
Charles City, IA -
An Iowa resident claiming to be a member of the Ku Klux Klan is attempting to organize a rally next month to protest attempts to legalize same-sex marriage throughout the state.
Douglas Sadler, 41, said his efforts are prompted by lawsuits filed earlier this month on behalf of six gay couples to alter the state’s marriage laws. “We don’t believe God’s law should be perverted any more than it already has been," Sadler, a father of four, told an Iowa paper. “The further we go away from God’s law, the further we get away from God.”
Lambda Legal, the organization that spearheaded the same-sex marriage drive across the country, is representing the gay couples in the lawsuit. Group officials said they will argue that the state constitution’s equal protection and due process clauses make it unlawful for the state to bar same-sex couples from marrying. They plan to take the case to the Iowa Supreme Court if necessary.
That’s exactly where Sadler said he plans to hold his protest. He said contingents from Cerro Gordo, Floyd, and Mitchell counties will head to Des Moines some time next month and spread its message. " “We don’t believe they have the right to marry,” Sadler said. “In fact, we don’t think they have the right to exist.”
Sadler claims he leads a northern Iowa contingent of the Klan but would not name any other members.
Lionel Foster, executive director of the Mason City Human Rights Commission, said he is aware of Klan activity in Iowa but is not extremely concerned. “They spread the same propaganda as they always have, and they thrive on it,” he said. “To be honest, there aren’t that many Klansmen in Iowa. We’re more concerned about the sympathizers than we are with the Klan because they cause the trouble.”
Written By Danny McCoy
Douglas Sadler, 41, said his efforts are prompted by lawsuits filed earlier this month on behalf of six gay couples to alter the state’s marriage laws. “We don’t believe God’s law should be perverted any more than it already has been," Sadler, a father of four, told an Iowa paper. “The further we go away from God’s law, the further we get away from God.”
Lambda Legal, the organization that spearheaded the same-sex marriage drive across the country, is representing the gay couples in the lawsuit. Group officials said they will argue that the state constitution’s equal protection and due process clauses make it unlawful for the state to bar same-sex couples from marrying. They plan to take the case to the Iowa Supreme Court if necessary.
That’s exactly where Sadler said he plans to hold his protest. He said contingents from Cerro Gordo, Floyd, and Mitchell counties will head to Des Moines some time next month and spread its message. " “We don’t believe they have the right to marry,” Sadler said. “In fact, we don’t think they have the right to exist.”
Sadler claims he leads a northern Iowa contingent of the Klan but would not name any other members.
Lionel Foster, executive director of the Mason City Human Rights Commission, said he is aware of Klan activity in Iowa but is not extremely concerned. “They spread the same propaganda as they always have, and they thrive on it,” he said. “To be honest, there aren’t that many Klansmen in Iowa. We’re more concerned about the sympathizers than we are with the Klan because they cause the trouble.”
Written By Danny McCoy
Article provided in partnership with GayWebMonkey.com.