Much of my political work has involved fighting for constituency groups ignored, maligned, or discriminated against by those in power. One of the most memorable instances was in 1996, when I spoke out before the Iowa House against a proposed ban on same-sex marriage. That speech landed me an invitation by US Rep. Barney Frank to testify before a congressional committee.

Amusingly, my advocacy also landed me in a deck of cards published by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. That is seriously an honor I’ll always cherish.

Those two speeches opened a host of opportunities for me, including three pages of quotes in Evan Wolfson’s book, Why Marriage Matters. 

The question of whether or not marriage equality is threatened is my topic during the first segment of this week’s program. Short answer: No, it’s not. The fight for equality has shifted to our trans brothers and sisters, and to defending women against legislative assaults on their autonomy. Depending upon the outcome of the November 8 election, those two fights may take several turns for the worse.

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