Can a child’s words change the world?
Huffington Post Gay Voices
Over the past few years, many others with gay parents have posted their stories on YouTube, testified before legislatures and sent letters to the Supreme Court, hoping to make the same case. One of the first — and most famous, after his testimony went viral with more than 2 million views on YouTube — was sixth-generation Iowan andengineering student Zach Wahls. In February 2011, Wahls spoke before the Iowa House of Representatives, which was debating legislation that would ban gay marriage in the state. Longtime activists and legal experts say testimony like Wahl’s can be effective in legislative battles and in shifting public opinion.
“Libby Anne,” a 26-year-old blogger for faith website Patheos, who uses a pseudonym so that her parents do not read her work and retaliate by cutting off contact with her younger siblings, recently wrote a post that said she spoke out against gay marriage as a child and now regrets it. “I never spoke before a House committee, sure, but when I was that age, my father was quick to push me forward to speak to reporters in support of ‘traditional marriage. I did grow up in a subculture that considered using children as political theater props was a good tactical move.”
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