It's been six months since the Iowa Supreme Court issued their unanimous decision to allow same-sex couples the freedom to marry in the state of Iowa. But the struggle to protect marriage equality has only just begun. As we've seen in California and Maine, these freedoms are never as secure as we hope.

The Iowa legislative session is set to begin in January, and a roster of anti-gay gubernatorial candidates is pledging to take away the freedoms we've worked so hard to achieve. One candidate even flaunts the idea of defying the Iowa Supreme Court ruling with an executive order, barring the door to committed couples who want to marry.

At this critical juncture, One Iowa will host a series of public forums to continue our statewide conversation about marriage equality. These panel discussions around the state will represent various local perspectives: same-sex couples, parents of gays and lesbians, faith and community leaders, the legal community and local businesses.

Questions will be collected from the audience and asked at the forum.

Since One Iowa began in 2005, we have kept Iowa's statewide conversation about issues like civil marriage polite and respectful. We hope to continue this conversation about the positive affect of marriage equality on Iowa communities.

For more information, contact organize@oneiowa.org.