It was just days after I launched The Randy Report that 19-year-old Zach Wahls of Iowa stood up in front of state lawmakers to introduce his two mothers as he argued for marriage equality in his state.
It was one of the most moving speeches I'd ever seen.
"I'm not really so different from any of your children. My family really isn't so different from yours. After all, your family doesn't derive its sense of worth from being told by the state, 'You're married—congratulations!' No, the sense of family comes from the commitment we make to each other, to work through the hard times so we can enjoy the good ones; it comes from the love that binds us. That's what makes a family."
Speaking to legislators about the importance of marriage equality to his family, Zach was beyond poised and focused. Here's the speech:
The Advocate called it "the most popular political video of 2011."
Last night, now-26-year-old Zach won his primary in Iowa as he runs to become a state senator in Iowa's District 37. The woofy Wahls garnered 60% of the vote in his race.
Wahls moves on to the November election to fill the seat vacated by Democratic Sen. Bob Dvorsky, who announced his retirement after more than 30 years in the Iowa legislature.
If Wahls wins the seat, he will be one of the youngest people to ever serve in the state Senate.
I will never forget the first time (or the many, many other times) I watched Zach Wahls thoughtful, moving, pro-marriage equality speech before the Iowa House Judiciary Committee, back in 2011.
Stepping up to defend marriage equality, he spoke eloquently of his two mothers and his childhood:
"I'm not really so different from any of your children. My family really isn't so different from yours. After all, your family doesn't derive its sense of worth from being told by the state, 'You're married—congratulations!' No, the sense of family comes from the commitment we make to each other, to work through the hard times so we can enjoy the good ones; it comes from the love that binds us. That's what makes a family."
What happened next was the very definition of "viral video;" millions and millions of views on YouTube.
The Advocate called it "the most popular political video of 2011."
Short story - I was with my husband Michael in New York City as he was on a publicity tour with his client, Olivia Newton-John.
We were leaving CNN where Olivia had just done an interview about her latest album, and walking down the hallway to the elevators, I see Zach Wahls walking towards us. He was on a promo tour for his book.
I dropped everything I was carrying and totally fan-boyed out. I explained to Michael and Olivia who he was, his speech, and just a lot of blathering blah blah blah. #EmbarrassingButAHugeFan
Zach was very charming, reaching for a book and autographing it to me. His mothers, seeing and recognizing Olivia, stood back and watched this whole moment unfold.
Eventually, we all took pictures and went on our separate ways.
In the elevator, Olivia laughed telling me she had never seen me so animated or excited in all the years she knew me.
Zach Wahls with Olivia Newton-John and his mothers
Zach went on to serve as co-chair for "The Outspoken Generation," a Family Equality Council initiative that gave the children of gay and lesbian parents a platform to speak out in support of their upbringing.
He also helped launch Scouts for Equality, an advocacy group that sought to challenge the Boy Scouts of America's ban on gay and lesbian scout leaders.
And then there is his stirring speech at the Democratic National Convention, where he thanked President Obama for his support of same-sex marriage.
Fast forward to now and Zach has announced that he is running for state Senate in Iowa's 37th District.
The 26-year-old will soon graduate with a master's degree in public policy from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.
Hello? Princeton University? No slacker here.
I'll totally be contributing to his campaign.
If you've never seen it, you must watch 19-year-old Zach Wahl's speech in February 2011.
I can't tell you how moved I was when I saw this. This guy is a political star.
As the Boy Scouts of America prepares to vote tomorrow on a proposal that would change its long-standing policy of excluding gay boys from Scout units, the executive director of Scouts for Equality, a gay rights advocacy group, is hopeful that the proposal will pass--but says this is just the first step.
“This is a good step in the right direction, we want youth protection throughout the entire program, and it looks we'll be able to see that on the 23rd,” executive director Zach Wahls tells Top Line. “But after that, we have to make sure that we are telling Scouts that when you turn 18 you are still welcome in the program.”
The proposal up for vote will not change the BSA's policy of banning gay adult leaders. To Wahls, changing that policy is not just political, it's personal.
“As the straight Eagle Scout son of a lesbian couple, I know exactly how important lifting the ban on adults is," he says. "I got to see first-hand when I was growing up in Iowa the impact that great, wise, loving parents could have in the lives of my Scouters.”
Once again, the clear-eyed, well-spoken Zach Wahls brings thought and common sense to the discussion on lifting the current anti-gay ban on gays participating in the Boy Scouts of America.
Edward Whelan, the president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center and author of an incendiary New York Post op-ed that suggested gay Boy Scout leaders would molest their charges, debated former Eagle Scout Zach Wahls on CNN.
Whelan is also the father of a soon-to-be Eagle Scout; he recently wrote an op-ed for the Post that posited, "Imagine that a group of girls is going on a long camping trip, supervised by adult volunteers who are young men you barely know. Would you let your 15-year-old daughter go?"
On CNN this weekend, Whelan defended the right of the Scouts to allow only people they deem "suitable." Activist Wahls had much to say in response.
Zach continues to be one our very best allies in the public discussion for equality. His thoughtful, calm and confident demeanor makes the argument for equality a clear one.
MSNBC is reporting that the Boy Scouts of America are close to ending their ban on gay members and leaders. This would be a big shift in policy for BSA.
The policy change is now before the organization's national board of directors.
The decision would be left to each individual chapter whether or not to accept gay scouts and leaders.
MSNBC reports that this changes comes from communications from the grass roots level of the Boy Scouts. Local chapters have apparently urged the national organization to reconsider the discriminatory policy.
Zach Wahls, Eagle Scout and founder of Scouts for Equality, had this to say: "This would be an incredible step forward in the right direction. We look forward to working with BSA Councils and chartering organizations across the country to end the exclusion of our gay brothers in Scouting, as well as the gay and lesbian leaders who serve the organizations so well."
The text of Zach Wahls' speech at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, September 6, 2012:
I'm a sixth-generation Iowan, an Eagle Scout, and I was raised by my two moms, Jackie and Terry.
People want to know what it's like having lesbian parents. I'll let you in on a secret: I'm awesome at putting the seat down. Otherwise, we're like any other family. We eat dinner, we go to church, we have chores. But some people don't see it that way. When I was 12, watching the 2004 Republican convention, I remember politicians talking about protecting marriage from families like mine.
Now, supporting a view of marriage as between a man and woman isn't radical. For many people, it's a matter of faith. We respect that. Watching that convention on TV, though I felt confused, frustrated. Why didn't they think my family was a real family?
Governor Romney says he's against same-sex marriage because every child deserves a mother and a father. I think every child deserves a family as loving and committed as mine. Because the sense of family comes from the commitment we make to each other to work through the hard times so we can enjoy the good ones. It comes from the love that binds us; that's what makes a family. Mr. Romney, my family is just as real as yours.
President Obama understands that. He supports my moms' marriage. President Obama put his political future on the line to do what was right. Without his leadership, we wouldn't be here. President Obama is fighting for our families... all of our families. He has our backs. We have his.
Now you KNOW I won't be missing this speech! How cool is this? I love that so many passionate young Democrats are involved in this convention. Bodes well for the future. And just plain makes you feel good :)
Zach will reportedly be speaking sometime between 6:20 and 6:45pm.
Wahls recently recorded a video for Obama's reelection campaign in which he talks about the speech before the Iowa legislature which made him famous on YouTube, his two moms, and what President Obama's endorsement of marriage equality means to him, and his family.
Zach Wahls is headed out on a tour around Iowa sponsored by LBGT rights group One Iowa to talk to Iowans about why marriage matters.
According to One Iowa "Zach will be joining us in Council Bluffs, Sioux City, Mason City, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, and Davenport. He will be speaking at churches, town halls and house parties across the state."
Regular readers of The Randy Report know how much I admire this amazing young man. So thoughtful and well-spoken on what he feels and how he communicates to the world.
No hate or anger in this ad at all. Just a clear, fair-minded message from a guy who really represents middle America.
This is what makes the future of America look bright.
Ben Cohen, world class rugby player and anti-bullying activist
Since June is gay pride month, the folks at Buzzfeed made a list of a few straight people that have done things for the LBGT community that we can all feel good about.
How do you like the list? Who would you add?
1. Ben Cohen, rubgy player/activist
2. Lisa Lampanelli, comedian
3. Hudson Taylor, wrestler and coach
4. & 5. Theodore Olson and David Boies, lawyers
6. Benjamin Todd Jealous, president of the NAACP
7. Zach Wahls, student
8. Josh Hutcherson, actor
9. Barack Obama, president
10. Dick Cheney, former vice president
ThinkProgress caught up with Eagle Scout Zach Wahls at Netroots Nation about today's announcement that the Boy Scouts of America will reconsider its policy discriminating against the LGBT community. He discusses his new initiative, Scouts for Equality, through which he is rallying other scouts to pressure BSA.
Said Wahls:
"It’s not a smokescreen. This proposal was made after Jen Tyrrell’s pettion on Change.org. So even though this has been brought up in the past, it’s never gotten nearly the level of attention that it has today. And as another departure from the past, there’s never been a group — which I actually launched in coordination with a number of other Eagle Scouts today called Scouts For Equality — and we’re going to be working with a number of different groups to really build a community of scouts — Eagle scouts, former scout leaders, that sort of thing — we’re really going to work toward making this policy change."
GLAAD reports that outspoken advocate and Eagle Scout Zach Wahls today delivered more than 275,000 signatures to the Boy Scouts of America at its National Annual Meeting in Florida, calling on the group to end its long history of anti-gay discrimination and reinstate Ohio mom Jennifer Tyrrell, who was forcibly removed as den leader of her son’s Boy Scouts troop because she’s gay.
After delivering the signatures, Wahls met briefly with Deron Smith, Public Relation Director with the Boy Scouts of America’s national office.
Zach recently sat down with Reason.tv's Nick Gillespie to discuss why his childhood was a lot like yours, the mainstreaming of same-sex marriage, his new book "My Two Moms" and Obama's "evolving" views on the subject.
Great idea to open dialogue: break bread with folks to talk not about politics or religion, but to just get to know each other over dinner. AND a bottle of wine or three! More wine!
Zach was also on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart - check him out below:
The conversation regarding marriage equality needs to be a respectful one so those who don't yet see this as a civil rights issue can still be open to a dialogue.
I also wholeheartedly agree that the First Amendment does guarantee freedom of religion but it also does not create a theocracy in America.
Many times you hear anti-gay folks say they don't want homosexuality shoved down their throats. BUT by trying to create laws that follow religious teachings and using the Bible as the primary foundation of their disapproval, those folks are going down the road of trying to make this country a theocracy. By definition, those people are "shoving" their views onto the LGBT community.
Today, I met Zach Wahls in the lobby of CNN where he was doing promotional appearances for his new book My Two Moms.
As regular readers of The Randy Report know, on January 31, 2011, Zach Wahls addressed the Iowa House Judiciary
Committee in a public forum regarding civil unions. The
nineteen-year-old son of a same-sex couple, Wahls proudly proclaimed,
“The sexual orientation of my parents has had zero effect on the content
of my character.”
Hours later, his speech was posted on YouTube, where it went viral,
quickly receiving more than two million views. By the end of the week,
everyone knew his name and wanted to hear more from the boy with two
moms.
I recently was talking about how celebrity sightings don't usually affect me much, but I have to say seeing Zach at 20 feet I dropped my bag and approached him directly. I introduced myself and explained what I do and how much I admire him. He could not have been more gracious as this stranger babbled to him. He was exactly what you would expect from his public appearances, as were his two moms.
My Two Moms
also delivers a reassuring message to same-sex couples, their kids, and
anyone who’s ever felt like an outsider: “You are not alone.” Make sure you check out his new book.
Olivia is a long-time ally of the LGBT community and has made her own public statement supporting marriage equality: "With respect to
marriage equality, I believe that no-one has the right to judge and deny
couples who love each other the ability to make a marriage commitment.
Love is love."
My very cool honor to get to introduce these two LGBT allies to each other.
The book, which was written with Bruce Littlefield and will be published on April 26th, ensures that Wahls' story will continue to change hearts and minds, thanks to the media coverage expected to coinside with its release.
And during an election year that has seen mutliple presidential hopefuls demonize LGBT people and their families, the compelling voice of this mature young man rings clearer and clearer.
