So I headed out to the Chariton Cemetery yesterday afternoon to record this image of John Chamberlain's tombstone, figuring that would be an appropriate way to launch LGBTQ History Month in Lucas County.
John's name had come up in conversations the week before, out of the blue, when someone asked if there were a place in Chariton to pay respects to him; and, separately, I had tried to explain to another friend his significance in a rural Iowa county where the stories of its gay children, told largely in whispers, have for the most part scattered like dry leaves in an October breeze and vanished.
John, who earned considerable respect late in life as a Des Moines-based HIV/AIDS educator and rights advocate, was I believe the first Lucas Countyan to tell his story publicly here --- in an intensely personal letter to the editor published in The Herald-Patriot of June 22, 2011. The letter was written in response to efforts by Republicans in the state Legislature to overturn via constitutional amendment the Iowa Supreme Court's 2009 ruling in Varnum v. Brien that made Iowa the fourth state in the nation to offer marriage equality. John called out by name State Sen. Paul McKinley, also native to Lucas County and then among those leading the GOP charge.
You'll find the text of the letter, as well as a brief description of the harsh response to it, here --- in a Lucas Countyan post headlined, "John's 'coming out' letter --- 11 years on."
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I had written about John earlier, in a post headlined "A little more about John Chamberlain," that was published a day or two after his death in January of 2014. That post referenced Chris Steinbach's post at his Brome Hill site headlined, "Remembering the gay-rights leader from Chariton."
Both are worthwhile reading if you're interested in learning a little more about John and his legacy.
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