I have to say this should be viral message because this kid demolishes to opposition it shows that this is a fundamental American right and one that we should be moving beyond and working on real issues. This young man gives me hope for our future. I hope we are producing many people like him....
So answer me this if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around does it make a sound? The Answer is of course it does. It just does not have the impact that it should without witnesses and stories about it. So maybe we should be the buzz...
Peace and saftey to all who live in egypt sounds like you need a new government...
PS I hope this puts some more thought into the option of turning off the Internet. The devil is in the details but the president already has a six month off switch if need be in times of war.... Hear is a pretty good article on the issue. I hope everyone has a good weekend.
Update: Transcript... Hattip.. luckylizard
Good evening Mr. Chairman. My name is Zach Wahls. I’m a sixth-generation Iowan and an engineering student at the University of Iowa and I was raised by two women.
My biological mom, Teri, told her grandparents that she was pregnant, that the artificial insemination had worked, and they wouldn’t even acknowledge it.
It wasn’t until I was born and they succumbed to my infantile cuteness that they broke down and told her that they were thrilled to have another grandson.
Unfortunately, neither of them lived to see her marry her partner Jackie of 15 years when they wed in 2009.
My younger sister and only sibling was born in 1994. We actually have the same anonymous donor so we’re full siblings, which is really cool for me.
I guess the point is our family really isn’t so different from any other Iowa family. You know, when I’m home we go to church together, we eat dinner, we go on vacations. But, you know, we have our hard times too, we get in fights…
Actually my mom, Teri was diagnoses with multiple sclerosis in 2000. It is a devastating disease that put her in a wheelchair. So we’ve had our struggles.
But, you know, we’re Iowans. We don’t expect anyone to solve our problems for us. We’ll fight our own battles. We just hope for equal and fair treatment from our government.
Being a student at the University of Iowa, the topic of same sex marriage comes up quite frequently in classroom discussions… Source: LYBIO.net The question always comes down to, well, “Can gays even raise kids?”
…The conversation gets quiet for a moment because most people don’t really have any answer. And then I raise my hand and say, “Actually, I was raised by a gay couple, and I’m doing pretty well.”
I scored in the 99th percentile on the ACT. I’m actually an Eagle Scout. I own and operate my own small business. If I was your son, Mr. Chairman, I believe I’d make you very proud.
I’m not really so different from any of your children. My family really isn’t so different from yours. After all, your family doesn’t derive its sense of worth from being told by the state: “You’re married. Congratulations.”
No. The sense of family comes from the commitment we make to each other. To work through the hard times so we can enjoy the good ones. It comes from the love that binds us. That’s what makes a family.
So what you’re voting here isn’t to change us. It’s not to change our families, it’s to change how the law views us; how the law treats us.
You are voting for the first time in the history of our state to codify discrimination into our constitution, a constitution that but for the proposed amendment, is the least amended constitution in the United States of America.
You are telling Iowans that some among you are second-class citizens who do not have the right to marry the person you love.
So will this vote affect my family?
Would it affect yours?
In the next two hours I’m sure we’re going to hear plenty of testimony about how damaging having gay parents is on kids.
But in my 19 years, not once have I ever been confronted by an individual who realized independently that I was raised by a gay couple.
And you know why? Because the sexual orientation of my parents has had zero effect on the content of my character.
Thank you very much.