What kind of place is that, specifically?
This kind?
Iowa has always been at the forefront of civil rights issues. And although Iowa is located in the heart of middle America, it has always been more progressive than most of the states in the Union. Here are some examples:
1838: Iowa, while still a territory,
allowed unmarried women to own property. At that time, women did not have rights and in most of the U.S. they were considered property themselves.
1851: Iowa became the
second state to legalize interracial marriage… a century before the rest of America.
1857: The University of Iowa became the
first state university in the nation to open its degree programs to women.
1868: Iowa became the
second state to outlaw segregated schools… ninety years before the rest of America.
1869: Iowan Julia C. Addington became the
first woman in the United States to be elected to a public office.
1869: Iowa became the
first state to allow women to join the bar, thus setting the stage for having the
first female attorney in the U.S., Arabella Mansfield.
1934: The
first mosque built in the United States is built in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
1953: Iowa was the
only state to defeat a McCarthyistic legislative measure to impose a teacher’s loyalty oath.
1970: Iowa became the
second state to adopt no-fault divorce.
1970: The University of Iowa became
one of the first universities in the U.S. to allow a student GLBT group. It was also one of the first universities in the U.S. to add sexual orientation to its non-discrimination policy.
2007: Iowa became the
second state to allow full marriage equality for gays and lesbians.
2008: During the January 3rd caucuses, Iowa Democrats became the first in the nation to select Barack Obama as their choice for president. Iowa is 93% white.
2009: On April 3rd the Iowa State Supreme Court handed down a unanimous decision in Varnum v Brien in favor of full marriage equality for gays and lesbians. Due to the stay on the 2007 district court ruling, this made Iowa officially the third state to allow marriage equality. And it was the first state not on one of the coasts to allow marriage equality and the first state to gain marriage equality with a unanimous decision.
2010: On February 17th the Iowa Board of Pharmacy became the first state pharmacy board in the nation to recommend the legalization of medical marijuana AND to change the classification of marijuana to a schedule II drug (one with potential for abuse but accepted medical uses) before either legislators or voters took steps to legalize it.
More:
https://councilbluffscommunityalliance.wordpress.com/iowa/iowas-progressive-history/The only thing she reflects is how tons of Koch money can buy an election.
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