Iowa

Unannounced Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty underscored his right-wing credentials Monday, affirming that he opposes repealing the ban on gays in the military, and that he believes marriage is “between a man and a woman.”

On Monday evening, Zach Wahls, a 19-year-old University of Iowa student spoke about the strength of his family during a public forum on House Joint Resolution 6, an amendment that seeks to repeal the state’s marriage equality law, and deny any form of legal recognition for gay couples.

DES MOINES — The Iowa state House on Tuesday passed an amendment that seeks to repeal the state’s marriage equality law, and deny any form of legal recognition for gay couples.

Two New Hampshire legislators have introduced bills to repeal the state’s marriage equality law, even though Republican leaders said that such a repeal is not a party priority in 2011. And several other states saw legislative moves toward or away from equality in the past week.

Iowa’s Democrat-controlled state Senate has shut down another attempt by Republican legislators to put gay marriage on the Iowa ballot in hopes of repealing the 2009 state Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage.

Iowa’s Republican legislators have introduced resolutions seeking to put gay marriage on the ballot in hopes of reversing the 2009 Iowa Supreme Court decision that struck down the state’s ban on same-sex marriage.

2011 will likely see a number of battles state by state across the country. Three states plus the District of Columbia are facing the prospect of losing marriage equality, an additional seven states could start the process of amending their state constitutions to ban marriage equality, five could gain marriage equality.

Three Iowa Republican state representatives are drafting legislation they hope will lead to impeaching four remaining state Supreme Court justices who struck down the state’s ban on same-sex marriage, while a group of attorney’s file suit to keep three other justices on the bench.

Iowa’s Republican Governor-elect Terry Branstad has renewed his call for a statewide vote to ban gay marriage, and has called the Democratic State Senate Majority Leader a dictator for not allowing senators to take up the matter.

Opponents of LGBT rights are celebrating the unprecedented ouster of three Iowa Supreme Court justices who helped legalize same-sex marriage in the state last year, but House Majority Leader Mike Gronstal (D) is pledging to block any attempt to pass a constitutional amendment which would ban gay marriage.