In 2011, 19-year-old Zach Wahls gave a passionate and career-defining speech about his two moms at a hearing of the Iowa House Judiciary Committee, as the legislature considered an amendment to ban same-sex marriage in Iowas Constitution. You are voting for the first time in the history of our state to codify discrimination into our Constitution, the college student told the committee. You are telling Iowans that some among you are second-class citizens, who do not have the right to marry the person you love. So, will this vote affect my family? Would it affect yours?With Wahls help, the amendment went down to defeat. Then-state Sen. Joni Ernst (R) was a co-sponsor of that legislation. Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Now, Wahls is having a full-circle moment as an Iowa state senator running against Ernst for her seat in the U.S. Senate.Maybe.Rumors are circulating that Ernst might forgo a third campaign, following her unforced error at an Iowa town hall last month, when she told constituents faced with Republicans devastating cuts to Medicaid, We are all going to die. Gone was Iowans delight with Ernsts Were going to make them squeal pledge from her first run for the Senate. Wahls spoke from his living and dining room campaign headquarters at his home in Coralville, Iowa, which he shares with his wife and young son.LGBTQ Nation: In May, Iowa state Sen. Sandy Salmon (R) introduced a resolution calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark federal case that legalized same-sex marriage in 2015. The resolution stated, Since court rulings are not laws and only legislatures elected by the people may pass laws, Obergefell is an illegitimate overreach. Fourteen years after you gave a speech to the Iowa House Judiciary Committee defending the rights of gay couples like your parents to marry, what was your reaction?Sen. Zach Wahls: Well, it was shocking, and unfortunately, a good reminder that political battles are never completely won, right? We have to continue to stay vigilant and fight back. I obviously got right to work. I reached out to several of my Republican colleagues to make sure that they were not going to be supporting this. It died very quickly.But it was still pretty shocking and outrageous that she would even consider introducing that kind of resolution. Its an illustration of the fact that weve certainly seen some retrenchment on some of these issues and that our rights are still under threat.So, in polling your colleagues, they did not support it. But what was the overall reaction? Do you see an evolution on the issue in their responses? Or is there the inkling of a return to a pre-marriage equality mindset? No. I think that for many of them, marriage itself is largely settled.But obviously, theres still plenty of conflict over where we go from here. In fact, this year, my Republican colleagues made Iowa the first state in the country to actually remove gender identity from the Iowa Civil Rights Act. It really erodes rights for transgender Iowans. That was obviously shocking, and I was one of the leading voices on the floor fighting against that proposal.Also shocking was the fact that Republicans messaging on it was completely incoherent. I tried to get the bill manager to explain their motivation for this legislation, and they just kind of kept talking about protecting women over and over, and not actually answering the question. After being one of the first states to legalize same-sex marriage, in 2009, Iowa is the only state to see a decline in the number of same-sex marriages. From 2014 to 2023, the number of households led by same-sex couples fell by 11%. What accounts for it? Is Iowa a backslide state?Its a good question. You certainly have seen a number of LGBTQ Iowans leave the state because of concerns about backsliding and those kinds of things, right? Again, I would say that just underscores that our rights are under threat, and were seeing attacks on those rights, and we cant take anything for granted.In addition to the erosion of LGBTQ rights, Iowa Republicans introduced one of the most radical abortion bans in the country, an ultra-extreme six-week abortion ban that was passed in the summer of 2023 and that is one of the two or three most extreme bans among the states. So it would not surprise me if that was a contributing factor, as well. Several state legislatures, along with the Southern Baptist Convention last month, are calling on the Supreme Court to overturn Obergefell, as they did with Roe.Saw that.What are the odds that this happens? And what do you say to the Court members on record endorsing it, Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas?Ill tell you this: I absolutely would not vote to confirm a justice to the U.S. Supreme Court who would not agree that marriage equality is settled law in this country. Congress passed the Respect for Marriage Act a few years ago, and anybody who would try to argue that the RMA was unconstitutional or anything like that clearly has no place on the highest court in the land. The number of Americans affiliated with a religion is on the decline, while the number of those who dont identify with a religion is on the rise, with just about 20% attending church weekly. 56% seldom or never attend religious services. That decline has accompanied increased political division, the rise of social media, and a loneliness epidemic in the United States. You identify as a Unitarian Universalist. Do Americans need more religion in their lives?Well, I think we certainly need more community, no doubt about it. And faith community is a profound source of connection and importance for a lot of people. It certainly has been for me.Its actually how my parents met, at a UU event back in the 90s. And when they had their first commitment ceremony in 1996, it was at a Unitarian Church in central Wisconsin. By the way, they walked down the aisle to the theme song of Star Trek Voyager, you know, to boldly go where no one had gone before. One thing I definitely find important in my faith is grace, grace both for ourselves when we fall short, and grace for others when they dont meet our expectations. For some people, obviously thats an important part of their faith. For others, its important on its own. I think our politics needs more grace right now. As a new Iowa state senator in 2011, Joni Ernst was a co-sponsor of the proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage in Iowa that you spoke so eloquently about. How does it feel going head-to-head in the political arena with someone so closely associated with that moment that brought you national recognition all these years later?Yeah. I mean, it feels very full-circle in some ways, and I think the contrast between us couldnt be any more clear. You know, Sen. Ernst, when she ran in 2014, promised to only serve two terms. Shes broken that promise.The Medicaid cuts that are in the legislation that was just passed are going to be devastating for Iowa, and shes ignored the fact that were obviously a rural state, and the cuts in particular to rural health care providers are going to be hurting.And she made that comment a few weeks ago about how Were all going to die in response to those cuts. Thats not something you say if you were in touch with the needs and concerns of everyday Iowans. Thats something you say if youve lost touch and youve gone Washington, which I think obviously she has. She has broken her promises over and over and over again. I dont think its too much to ask to have a politician who actually keeps their promises. Well, you can credit her for making a memorable comment.(Laughing) Yeah, you know, she had a line in this viral TV ad when she first ran back in 2014. She said, Lets go to Washington and make them squeal, right? And what I would say all these years later is, I think Joni Ernst is all squeal, no bacon.To her credit, Ernst voted for the Respect for Marriage Act, and says she supports transgender service members in the military she served in the Iraq War as a member of the Iowa National Guard. Whats the one issue you think Ernst is most vulnerable on for Iowa voters? Healthcare is going to be that issue. The vote Republicans just took on healthcare is going to increase costs for Iowans, not just for people who are enrolled in Medicaid, not just for people who are on Obamacare plans, but for everybody. Because the end of those investments in that part of our health care system is going to drive up costs for everybody.Iowa voted for Barack Obama twice and for Bill Clinton twice, and Democrat Tom Harkin was a longtime Iowa Senator. What was appealing to Iowans about those men that gives you hope for your Senate run in red-state Iowa?One thing that all of those people you just named have in common is the fact that theyre all outsiders. They were willing to take on the establishment and challenge the status quo. That is exactly what Ive done my entire career. And by the way, I would put Donald Trump in that category, too. He is obviously someone who has run in an anti-establishment lane.But from my perspective, its clear the establishment is not working for everyday Iowans. Ive only been in office for seven years, but Ive seen the corruption. Ive seen the insider politics and how it hurts Iowans, and it makes me sick to my stomach. Ive fought these fights, and I will never hesitate to do that when Im in the U.S. Senate.Youve called yourself queer-spawn as the son of two moms.(Laughing) Yes.Did being raised by two mothers give you insight into women that the child of straight parents might not have? Oh, sure. I mean, its definitely an unusual life experience. But Id say more than anything else, its not just about having two moms I have two great moms but my parents raised me with very good values and a lot of common sense. They taught me what family means: taking care of each other. Those are values and lessons that Im bringing to bear myself now as a father and raising my son, Elijah, with my wife, Chloe.And we feel really fortunate, by the way, to have two loving grandmothers who are not too far a drive from our house. Theyre always happy to help out when we want to sneak away for a date night, which we certainly appreciate. But at the end of the day, as I said in my speech, its not really about the sexual orientation of your parents. Its about whether or not theyre willing to put in all the blood, sweat, and tears that it takes to sculpt little hellions into upstanding young adults.Whats the single most important thing the world should do to address the climate crisis? For the record, Sen. Ernst is a climate change denier.Look, clean energy is absolutely vital for the state of Iowa. In fact, 60% of our electricity comes from wind energy, and its going to be a big part of our future. We are seeing more and more utility-scale solar come online in the state, and you cant grow more corn than anywhere else on the planet without a ton of sunshine. Would you support national mandatory service for young people in the military, or some other form of public service of their choosing, like the Peace Corps or Teach for America?I benefited from serving in the Boy Scouts of America, and I have a lot of friends who served in the military, served in Teach for America, the Peace Corps. Encouraging service is really important. One thing that Ive thought for a long time is, you have the national military academies, which obviously do a great job of preparing our men and women in uniform. Having some service academies that help people learn how to be more effective in public service would also be something that we should think about. How do you describe the role of the Senate in forming policy and making law, compared to the House of Representatives and in relation to the Executive Branch and the Supreme Court? One of the important things to understand about the Senate is that it is an independent and coequal branch of government. And one of its most important roles is in confirming appointments by the Executive.That was one of the reasons why Sen. Ernsts flip-flop on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was so disappointing. I mean, she clearly had very well-founded concerns about Mr. Hegseth. Her backing up on that because of the political pressure demonstrates that she has lost her independence, which I think is the most essential attribute of the Senate. Whats the thing youre most looking forward to about representing the people of Iowa in the U.S. Senate if you win next November?The opportunity to solve problems on their behalf. And were using the campaign itself as a vehicle to start that work. Now, we know that we cant solve every problem that we hear about from people, but there are going to be problems that we can solve, and when we hear about those, that becomes our to-do list in Washington. I expect that its going to be a pretty long to-do list by the time we get there, and Im really excited to get after it. Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.