# Putting a human face on gay marriage: Zach Wahls **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 15, 2011, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-a-human-face-on-gay-marriage-zach-wahls/571496 "2011-02-15T20:49:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-a-human-face-on-gay-marriage-zach-wahls/571496/1 "2011-02-15T20:49:17Z")
I’m not sure how I stumbled across this, but the video made…get some dust in my eye. Zach Wahls is a 19 year old engineering major at the University of Iowa and he’s addressing the Iowa House of Representatives about his childhood and his parents. He’s a great speaker. [Link to Economist piece and within it the Youtube video, SFW](http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2011/02/politics_and_morality_gay_marriage). Here’s a [Daily Iowan op-ed](http://www.dailyiowan.com/2010/09/15/Opinions/18772.html) from September. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-a-human-face-on-gay-marriage-zach-wahls/571496/2 "2011-02-15T21:59:16Z")
That was awesome, I saw it last week. I wish there was a whole group of kids of gay parents taking a stand like him! ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-a-human-face-on-gay-marriage-zach-wahls/571496/3 "2011-02-15T22:21:45Z")
And an Iowan (grand)mother also weighs in, inspired by Zach. She has a gay son who has been with his husband for 30 years. Good stuff. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/rfobL3900wI/hqdefault.jpg "Iowa grandmother speaks in favor of gay marriage") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfobL3900wI) ---
**Author:** ![rivulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@rivulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rivulus)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-a-human-face-on-gay-marriage-zach-wahls/571496/4 "2011-02-16T02:18:59Z")
Both videos have been making their rounds among my Facebook feed. Encouraging! ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-a-human-face-on-gay-marriage-zach-wahls/571496/5 "2011-02-16T04:28:18Z")
Great speech. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-a-human-face-on-gay-marriage-zach-wahls/571496/6 "2011-02-16T05:49:15Z")
What a nice kid 🙂 I hope that the people he’s speaking to really listened. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Onimous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@Ann\_Onimous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Onimous)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-a-human-face-on-gay-marriage-zach-wahls/571496/7 "2011-02-16T13:46:49Z")
This one, I’ll watch when I get home. But it’s a fantastic letter. Good for them. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-a-human-face-on-gay-marriage-zach-wahls/571496/8 "2011-02-16T14:09:22Z")
He speaks very much like a politician. Except with more honestly. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-a-human-face-on-gay-marriage-zach-wahls/571496/9 "2011-02-16T15:51:21Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > What a nice kid 🙂 I hope that the people he’s speaking to really listened. I think his draw is that he’s so tall/handsome/articulate plus his list of accomplishments. Wouldn’t have worked if he were some little guy. He’s a huge asset; I hope others join him. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-a-human-face-on-gay-marriage-zach-wahls/571496/10 "2011-02-16T17:02:41Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > I think his draw is that he’s so tall/handsome/articulate plus his list of accomplishments. Wouldn’t have worked if he were some little guy. He’s a huge asset; I hope others join him. He looks and seems like the kid we all want to be our 19 year old son. Handsome, smart, well spoken, considerate, realistic and mature. Not the basket case the “think of the children” set want you to think of when they make the “think of the children” argument over gay marriage. Powerful. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-a-human-face-on-gay-marriage-zach-wahls/571496/11 "2011-02-16T17:12:52Z")
The issue has come into sharper focus for me as I plan my own wedding. My soon to be brother in law is gay, in a long term relationship with his partner, and they are also planning to get married. My Druidess and I can get married anywhere. People would love to have our business, merchants, vendors all wish us happy tidings, we can have any venue, etc. My soon to be brother in law can’t do those things. There are very few places where he can even get married. His relationship is fundamentally no different than mine…he loves his partner as I do my Druidess. He wants to spend a lifetime with his partner same as I do with mine. But he does not have the same opportunities I do, just because he happens to be gay. That’s not fair. I hope it changes, soon. I’d be proud to attend his wedding, just as he and his partner will attend mine. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-a-human-face-on-gay-marriage-zach-wahls/571496/12 "2011-02-16T18:44:17Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > He looks and seems like the kid we all want to be our 19 year old son. Handsome, smart, well spoken, considerate, realistic and mature. Not the basket case the “think of the children” set want you to think of when they make the “think of the children” argument over gay marriage. Powerful. Not _all_ of us would like him to be our son…_some_ of us would like to go out for a night on the town with said smart, handsome 19 year old 😛 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-a-human-face-on-gay-marriage-zach-wahls/571496/13 "2011-02-16T20:25:25Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > There are very few places where he can even get married. Are they travelling for the wedding? Do they have a plan yet? ---
**Author:** ![serious\_lark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@serious\_lark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/serious_lark)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-a-human-face-on-gay-marriage-zach-wahls/571496/14 "2011-02-16T20:34:45Z")
I had heard his speech on the radio driving home from work. Without knowing what he looked like, I was still very impressed by his honesty and his public speaking skills. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-a-human-face-on-gay-marriage-zach-wahls/571496/15 "2011-02-17T00:04:15Z")
If you’re not already in love with him, here’s a [short Q&A](http://feministing.com/2011/02/12/the-feministing-five-zach-wahls/). He gives a shout out to the other people who spoke that night, supports feminism and calls his biological mom his role model. Someone sweet and good, marry him!