Des Moines – On June 8th, Capital City Pride (CCP) will host its 10-Years of Love Reception in celebration of the 10thanniversary of the Iowa Supreme Court’s unanimous decision to overturn a ban on same-sex marriage with Varnum v. Brien. The event will kick off at noon at the People’s Plaza at the Capitol.
“We are thrilled to celebrate the anniversary of this momentous decision by the state of Iowa to embrace and support the LGBTQ+ community in their path to reach equality,” said Dan Jansen, President, Capital City Pride. “Ten years ago, our state publicly proved that love is love, and we can’t think of a better representative of this continued progress than by welcoming presidential candidate, Pete Buttigieg to share his experiences with us at this year’s PrideFest.”
On April 3, 2009, the Iowa Supreme Court’s decision made Iowa the third state in the nation to establish marriage equality. This ruling continued Iowa’s reputation for equality and put Iowa on the stage for LGBTQ+ people.
“One Iowa was founded as a marriage equality organization in 2005, and Varnum v. Brien was an incredible victory not only for our organization, but LGBTQ people throughout the state,” One Iowa Executive Director Daniel Hoffman-Zinnel said. “Milestones like this remind us that change is possible and worth pursuing. They also provide an opportunity to reflect on our community’s past, reminding us whose shoulders we stand on as we continue fighting for broad LGBTQ equality.”
Presidential candidate, Pete Buttigieg will speak at the event about the importance of equality not only in his personal life, but also in the political spectrum. As the first openly gay presidential candidate, Pete will share what Iowa and the impact acceptance and inclusion has had on his journey thus far. Daniel Hoffman-Zinnel will also share his story about his time at One Iowa and the work they do every single day to ensure continued progress towards equality.
For a full listing of all of the events happening during 2019 PrideFest, visit: www.capitalcitypride.org.