Teen arrested for hate crime near Des Moines gay bar, police say

BY JENNIFER JACOBS • STAFF WRITER • DES MOINES REGISTER

IOWA -- A Des Moines teen was arrested in connection with a hate crime Friday night after he allegedly threw bricks at some men near an East Village gay bar and called them anti-homosexual names, according to Des Moines police.

Sander “Sam” O’Dale Johnson, 18, of 912 24th St. in Des Moines, was arrested for assault with a hate crime and violation of individual rights, records show.

Police also suspect Johnson and his friends may have been involved with a similar hate crime on Sept. 6 that also happened near the Blazing Saddle bar in the 400 block of East Fifth Street.

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Gay Marriage in Iowa and the Pending Apocalypse

Upon hearing news of Polk County Judge Robert Hanson's ruling smiting Iowa's prohibition on same-sex marriage, I grabbed my well-thumbed copy of James Dobson's "Marriage Under Fire," hopped in my Sin City getaway car, and fled Des Moines before God had a chance to destroy the capital city with fire and brimstone. I had to reach moral high ground before it was too late. While crossing the county line, I was tempted to look back and steal one final glimpse of the capital city aflame.

But when I looked in the rear-view mirror, I felt disappointed. A firestorm had not consumed my place of birth; I had not turned into a pillar of salt. My wavering doubts in the sanctity of marriage slowly gave way to doubts about the moral prophets of doom, who have predicted that gay marriage not only will destroy the sanctity of marriage and the moral fiber of our society but also will serve as a precursor to the apocalypse.

One week later…

Des Moines is still standing, 21 gay couples are still married (although their licenses are now pending), and not a single heterosexual couple has reportedly filed for divorce on the grounds that gay marriage has ruined their union. Meanwhile, the moral meteorologists have lifted the fire and brimstone warnings, for now, since the window of opportunity for gay couples to marry in Polk County quickly slammed shut last Friday -- when Hanson agreed to suspend his day-old ruling.

http://www.iowaindependent.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=966
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Iowa same sex weddings on hold

The Polk County recorder says she has been instructed by the county attorney to stop accepting same-sex marriage applications.


Julie Haggerty says the instructions came from the county attorney’s office after Judge Robert Hanson verbally issued a stay of his ruling striking down same-sex marriages.


The county plans to appeal to the Iowa Supreme Court. Haggerty says she is not permitted to accept any more applications from gay couples until after the high court rules.

Marriage In IOWA!

Though we often think of the midwest as a wasteland on LGBTQ equality. But Iowa stands out as a leader. Back in 2004, the state Democratic Party was one of the first two in the county to include marriage equality in their platform, and in 2003 an Iowa judge created a stir by granting a civil union divorce to a Sioux City couple.
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And today, a Polk County judge ruled that Iowa same-sex couples can’t be denied marriage licenses or “in any other way be prevented from entering into civil marriage pursuant to Iowa Code Chapter 595 by reason of the fact that both persons comprising such as a couple are of the same sex.” He ordered the county recorder’s office to immediately start issuing marriage licenses.
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Of course, this is far from a done deal. The County is expected to appeal the case to the state Supreme Court, and there are already rumors of an injunction to stop the marriage licenses from being issued. But any success is a beautiful thing.