One Iowa in the News: Iowa gay rights activists on front lines
from Eyes on Iowa.
...The brutal murder of Matthew Shepard by Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney is still a catalyst for the gay and lesbian community. Thirteen years later gay rights activists still cite the Matthew Shepard murder as one of the deciding factors in their choice to live a life combatting inequality and social bias.
Troy Price, the director of One Iowa, the state’s largest gay and lesbian advocacy group, remembers the Shepard murder and the recent incident with Tyler Clementi as turning points in his life.
...“Gay rights is the defining civil rights movement of this generation,” Price said. “Iowa finds itself on the front lines… the decisions made here have a ripple effect across the nation.”
...Price explained that it is a mixed blessing for gay and lesbian students to live in Iowa.
“I’ve found that for the most part Iowans are fair people… with a live and let live mentality. Outsiders have a perception that Iowa is a conservative hotbed, but it really isn’t… Iowa has been a civil rights leader in the past… ending segregation sometime in the 1860s,” Price said. “However, with the passing of same-sex marriage Iowa finds itself on the front lines.”
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