On a bi-partisan 59-37 vote, the Iowa House expanded Iowa’s civil rights law to end discrimination in housing or the workplace based on sexual orientation.

“It is a historic vote,” said House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Des Moines Democrat. “I also think it was a mainstream vote. This was not some sort of liberal/social agenda. This is just saying that under housing and employment people should not be discriminated based upon their real or perceived sexual orientation.”

According to a House Democratic press release,”Discrimination in any form is simply wrong.  Whether in the workplace or housing, Iowans should not be discriminated against because of age, race, color, religion or sexual orientation,” said State Representative Beth Wessel-Kroeschell of Ames, who managed the bill. 

Senate File 427 updates Iowa’s Civil Rights Act to prohibit discrimination in employment, public accommodation, housing, education, or credit practices based on age, race, creed, color, sex, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or disability.

The discussion on various blogs throughout the state over the past few months has focused on what the Iowa Legislature has FAILED to accomplish – rather than the victories.  This bill is truly a victory for progressives and for everyone who would like to call Iowa home.  Leadership in both chambers made this bill a priority throughout the session – and now we can separate ourselves from the 33 other states where it’s OK to dismiss employees because of their real or perceived sexual orientation.

In particular, it was leadership from Democrats in cooperation with Iowa businesses and civil rights leaders who pushed this bill through to final passage.  Corporate America is rapidly realizing that creating a tolerant atmosphere for everyone to work is an important part of growing a business – and a state.  According to an article in Fortune Magazine:

So it’s clear where big business is going. What’s interesting is to watch it pull the rest of the country along. It turns out that the most important factor shaping people’s feelings about gay issues is not their age or even their religion – although those do matter – but whether they have relatives, friends or co-workers who are gay.

“The more out and open people are, the more changed the straight people are all around them,” says Joe Solmonese, the Human Rights Campaign president. HRC began organizing workplaces to secure benefits for gay employees. This has inadvertently become a shrewd political strategy as well. “To move the mindset of the American people, we need to find the places where they congregate,” Solmonese says. “Priority one is corporate America.”