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{{short description|American politician}} |
{{short description|American politician}} |
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{{Infobox officeholder |
{{Infobox officeholder |
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|name = Zach Wahls |
|name = Zach Wahls |
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|image = Zach Wahls Iowa Legislature Portait.jpg |
|image = Zach Wahls Iowa Legislature Portait.jpg |
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|office = |
|office = Democratic Leader of the [[Iowa Senate]] |
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|term_start = |
|term_start = November 15, 2020 |
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|term_end = June 7, 2023 |
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|term_end = June 7, 2023<ref>https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2023/06/07/sen-pam-jochum-replaces-sen-zach-wahls-as-iowa-senate-minority-leader/</ref> |
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|predecessor = [[Janet Petersen]] |
|predecessor = [[Janet Petersen]] |
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|successor = |
|successor = [[Pam Jochum]] |
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|office1 = Member of the [[Iowa Senate]] |
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|state_senate1 = Iowa |
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|district1 = [[Iowa's 43rd Senate district|43rd]] |
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|term_start1 = January 14, 2019 |
|term_start1 = January 14, 2019 |
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|term_end1 = |
|term_end1 = |
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|predecessor1 = [[Robert Dvorsky]] |
|predecessor1 = [[Robert Dvorsky]] |
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|successor1 = |
|successor1 = |
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|constituency1 = [[Iowa Senate District |
|constituency1 = [[Iowa Senate District 37|37th district]] (2019–2023)<br>[[Iowa Senate District 43|43rd district]] (2023–present) |
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[[Iowa Senate District 37|District 37]] - (2019-2023) |
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|birth_name = Zacharia Wahls |
|birth_name = Zacharia Wahls |
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|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1991|7|15}} |
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1991|7|15}} |
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|party = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] |
|party = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] |
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|relatives = [[Terry Wahls]] (mother) |
|relatives = [[Terry Wahls]] (mother) |
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|spouse = Chloe Angyal <br> (m. 2021) |
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|education = [[University of Iowa]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br>[[Princeton University]] ([[Master of Public Affairs|MPA]]) |
|education = [[University of Iowa]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br>[[Princeton University]] ([[Master of Public Affairs|MPA]]) |
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}} |
}} |
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'''Zacharia Wahls''' (born July 15, 1991) is an [[Iowa Senate|Iowa state senator]] for the [[Iowa |
'''Zacharia Wahls''' (born July 15, 1991) is an [[Iowa Senate|Iowa state senator]] for the [[Iowa's 43rd Senate district|43rd District]], and American [[LGBT|LGBTQ+]] activist and author. |
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==Early years== |
==Early years== |
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Before withdrawing from the University of Iowa,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.wbur.org/npr/160629747/my-two-moms-author-hopes-to-highlight-gay-rights-at-convention|title='My Two Moms' Author To Highlight Gay Rights At Convention|first=Sarah| last=McCammon|work=[[WBUR-FM]]|date=September 6, 2012|access-date=March 14, 2020}}</ref> while a college freshman, Wahls started a small peer tutoring company, Iowa City Learns, that offers tutoring services to junior and high school students.<ref>{{cite news|work=[[The Gazette (Cedar Rapids)|The Gazette]]|url=http://thegazette.com/2009/10/13/ui-freshman-creates-peer-tutoring-company-for-high-school-students/ |first=Diane |last=Heldt|title=UI freshman creates peer tutoring company for high school students|date=October 13, 2009|access-date= May 30, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|publisher=Iowa City Learns|url= http://www.iowacitylearns.com/?page_id=59|title= History|access-date=May 30, 2012}}</ref> At the University of Iowa he was a member of [[The National Society of Collegiate Scholars]] (NSCS). He also wrote a weekly column for ''[[The Daily Iowan]]'', a daily student newspaper,<ref name=mowles>{{cite news|work=[[Generation Progress|Campus Progress]]| url=http://www.campusprogress.org/articles/six_questions_with_zach_wahls_who_defended_his_moms_in_iowas_legislatu/|first= Jessica|last= Mowles|title=Six Questions with Zach Wahls, Who Defended His Moms in Iowa's Legislature|date=February 18, 2011|access-date=June 2, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512010504/http://www.campusprogress.org/articles/six_questions_with_zach_wahls_who_defended_his_moms_in_iowas_legislatu/ |archive-date=May 12, 2013}}</ref> and studied for a time in India.<ref name=reid /> |
Before withdrawing from the University of Iowa,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.wbur.org/npr/160629747/my-two-moms-author-hopes-to-highlight-gay-rights-at-convention|title='My Two Moms' Author To Highlight Gay Rights At Convention|first=Sarah| last=McCammon|work=[[WBUR-FM]]|date=September 6, 2012|access-date=March 14, 2020}}</ref> while a college freshman, Wahls started a small peer tutoring company, Iowa City Learns, that offers tutoring services to junior and high school students.<ref>{{cite news|work=[[The Gazette (Cedar Rapids)|The Gazette]]|url=http://thegazette.com/2009/10/13/ui-freshman-creates-peer-tutoring-company-for-high-school-students/ |first=Diane |last=Heldt|title=UI freshman creates peer tutoring company for high school students|date=October 13, 2009|access-date= May 30, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|publisher=Iowa City Learns|url= http://www.iowacitylearns.com/?page_id=59|title= History|access-date=May 30, 2012}}</ref> At the University of Iowa he was a member of [[The National Society of Collegiate Scholars]] (NSCS). He also wrote a weekly column for ''[[The Daily Iowan]]'', a daily student newspaper,<ref name=mowles>{{cite news|work=[[Generation Progress|Campus Progress]]| url=http://www.campusprogress.org/articles/six_questions_with_zach_wahls_who_defended_his_moms_in_iowas_legislatu/|first= Jessica|last= Mowles|title=Six Questions with Zach Wahls, Who Defended His Moms in Iowa's Legislature|date=February 18, 2011|access-date=June 2, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512010504/http://www.campusprogress.org/articles/six_questions_with_zach_wahls_who_defended_his_moms_in_iowas_legislatu/ |archive-date=May 12, 2013}}</ref> and studied for a time in India.<ref name=reid /> |
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He was, in his own words, "not much of an activist" before he went viral in 2011.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/zach-wahls-iowa-student-with-two-moms-discusses-life-post-viral-success-video/2011/12/01/gIQAaUrsGO_blog.html|first= Melissa|last=Bell|title=Zach Wahls, Iowa student with two moms, discusses life post-viral success (Video)|date= December 1, 2011 |
He was, in his own words, "not much of an activist" before he went viral in 2011.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/zach-wahls-iowa-student-with-two-moms-discusses-life-post-viral-success-video/2011/12/01/gIQAaUrsGO_blog.html|first= Melissa|last=Bell|title=Zach Wahls, Iowa student with two moms, discusses life post-viral success (Video)|date= December 1, 2011}}</ref> |
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==Activism== |
==Activism== |
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In May 2012, he led a group of advocates for LGBT causes in lobbying Congress in support of several pieces of legislation, including the Healthy Families Act, which would allow same-sex partners the same hospital visitation rights as married different-sex couples, and met with Iowa Sen. [[Chuck Grassley]].<ref>{{cite news|work=[[National Journal]]|url= http://www.nationaljournal.com/thenextamerica/culture/activist-with-2-moms-hits-hill-for-gay-rights-20120530|first= Julia |last=Edwards|title=Activist With 2 Moms Hits Hill for Gay Rights|date=May 30, 2012|access-date=May 30, 2012}}</ref> |
In May 2012, he led a group of advocates for LGBT causes in lobbying Congress in support of several pieces of legislation, including the Healthy Families Act, which would allow same-sex partners the same hospital visitation rights as married different-sex couples, and met with Iowa Sen. [[Chuck Grassley]].<ref>{{cite news|work=[[National Journal]]|url= http://www.nationaljournal.com/thenextamerica/culture/activist-with-2-moms-hits-hill-for-gay-rights-20120530|first= Julia |last=Edwards|title=Activist With 2 Moms Hits Hill for Gay Rights|date=May 30, 2012|access-date=May 30, 2012}}</ref> |
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An [[Eagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America)|Eagle Scout]], Wahls targeted the [[Boy Scouts of America]]'s (BSA) ban on gays and lesbians as scout leaders. On May 30, 2012, at the Boy Scouts' National Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida, wearing his Boy Scout uniform, he delivered petitions with 275,000 signatures in support of equality in scouts. Jennifer Tyrrell, from [[Bridgeport, Ohio]], who was forced to resign as a den mother because she is a lesbian, then met with two of the organization's board members. He told [[MSNBC]]'s [[Thomas Roberts (news anchor)|Thomas Roberts]] that the signatures included many current and former scouts and scout leaders because "there is tremendous support within the boy scout movement already to change this policy and bring it up to date in the 21st century." He reported that his own mothers had no problem when they participated in his boy scout activities,<ref>{{cite news|work=[[HuffPost]]|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/30/zach-wahls-boy-scouts-jennifer-tyrrell-lesbian-den-mom_n_1556395.html|title=Zach Wahls, Kat Graham Petition Boy Scouts Of America On Ousted Lesbian Den Mom's Behalf|date= May 30, 2012|access-date=May 30, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|work= [[Chicago Tribune]]|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-usa-scouts-petitionbre84t1kv-20120530,0,4712929.story |first=Barbara |last=Liston|title=Scout challenges anti-gay policy of Boy Scouts of America|date=May 30, 2012|access-date=June 1, 2012}}</ref> and even when one of his mothers became a den mother and the other served as interim pack leader.<ref name=martin /> In June, as co-founder of the initiative, he launched [[Scouts for Equality]] to lobby for a change in the BSA's policies.<ref>{{cite news|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|url=https://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-boy-scouts-gay-resolution-20120607,0,2723748.story |first=Laura J. |last=Nelson|title=Eagle Scouts to pressure Boy Scouts' ban on gay members, leaders|date=June 7, 2012|access-date=June 8, 2012}}</ref> |
An [[Eagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America)|Eagle Scout]], Wahls targeted the [[Boy Scouts of America]]'s (BSA) ban on gays and lesbians as scout leaders. On May 30, 2012, at the Boy Scouts' National Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida, wearing his Boy Scout uniform, he delivered petitions with 275,000 signatures in support of equality in scouts. Jennifer Tyrrell, from [[Bridgeport, Ohio]], who was forced to resign as a den mother because she is a lesbian, then met with two of the organization's board members. He told [[MSNBC]]'s [[Thomas Roberts (news anchor)|Thomas Roberts]] that the signatures included many current and former scouts and scout leaders because "there is tremendous support within the boy scout movement already to change this policy and bring it up to date in the 21st century." He reported that his own mothers had no problem when they participated in his boy scout activities,<ref>{{cite news|work=[[HuffPost]]|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/30/zach-wahls-boy-scouts-jennifer-tyrrell-lesbian-den-mom_n_1556395.html|title=Zach Wahls, Kat Graham Petition Boy Scouts Of America On Ousted Lesbian Den Mom's Behalf|date= May 30, 2012|access-date=May 30, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|work= [[Chicago Tribune]]|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-usa-scouts-petitionbre84t1kv-20120530,0,4712929.story |first=Barbara |last=Liston|title=Scout challenges anti-gay policy of Boy Scouts of America|date=May 30, 2012|access-date=June 1, 2012}}</ref> and even when one of his mothers became a den mother and the other served as interim pack leader.<ref name=martin /> In June, as co-founder of the initiative, he launched [[Scouts for Equality]] to lobby for a change in the BSA's policies.<ref>{{cite news|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|url=https://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-boy-scouts-gay-resolution-20120607,0,2723748.story |first=Laura J. |last=Nelson|title=Eagle Scouts to pressure Boy Scouts' ban on gay members, leaders|date=June 7, 2012|access-date=June 8, 2012}}</ref> The organization was dissolved on December 31, 2020 by the Board of Directors' unanimous vote.<ref>Scouts for Equality - Timeline - https://www.scoutsforequality.org/timeline/</ref> |
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In September, Wahls delivered a speech at the [[2012 Democratic National Convention]] in which he thanked President Obama for "put[ting] his political future on the line" in supporting same-sex marriage.<ref>{{cite news|last=Henderson|first=O. Kay|title=Iowan, at convention: 'Mr. Romney, my family is just as real as yours'|url=http://www.radioiowa.com/2012/09/06/iowan-at-convention-mr-romney-my-family-is-just-as-real-as-yours-audio/|access-date=September 7, 2012|work=Radio Iowa|date=September 6, 2012}}</ref> |
In September, Wahls delivered a speech at the [[2012 Democratic National Convention]] in which he thanked President Obama for "put[ting] his political future on the line" in supporting same-sex marriage.<ref>{{cite news|last=Henderson|first=O. Kay|title=Iowan, at convention: 'Mr. Romney, my family is just as real as yours'|url=http://www.radioiowa.com/2012/09/06/iowan-at-convention-mr-romney-my-family-is-just-as-real-as-yours-audio/|access-date=September 7, 2012|work=Radio Iowa|date=September 6, 2012}}</ref> |
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Wahls completed his degree at the University of Iowa in May 2016 and enrolled in the [[Princeton School of Public and International Affairs]] at [[Princeton University]]. He was a delegate for [[Hillary Clinton]] at the [[2016 Democratic National Convention]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://iowademocrats.org/2016-district-convention-national-delegates-election-results/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160718024726/http://iowademocrats.org/2016-district-convention-national-delegates-election-results/|archive-date=July 18, 2016|title=2016 District Convention National Delegates Election Results|first=Monica|last=Biddix|date=May 6, 2016|publisher=[[Iowa Democratic Party]]}}</ref> |
Wahls completed his degree at the University of Iowa in May 2016 and enrolled in the [[Princeton School of Public and International Affairs]] at [[Princeton University]]. He was a delegate for [[Hillary Clinton]] at the [[2016 Democratic National Convention]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://iowademocrats.org/2016-district-convention-national-delegates-election-results/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160718024726/http://iowademocrats.org/2016-district-convention-national-delegates-election-results/|archive-date=July 18, 2016|title=2016 District Convention National Delegates Election Results|first=Monica|last=Biddix|date=May 6, 2016|publisher=[[Iowa Democratic Party]]}}</ref> |
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== |
==Iowa Senate tenure== |
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Wahls announced on December 21, 2017 that he would run in the [[Iowa elections, 2018|2018 election]] for [[Iowa Senate, District 37|Iowa Senate district 37]]. A member of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]], Wahls stated that he would focus on the issues of [[health care in the United States|healthcare]], [[education in the United States|education]], and [[United States labor law|workers' rights]].<ref name="davis">{{cite news|last=Davis|first=Andy|date=December 21, 2017|title=Zach Wahls announces bid for Dvorsky's Iowa Senate seat|work=[[Iowa City Press-Citizen]]|url=http://www.press-citizen.com/story/news/local/2017/12/21/zach-wahls-announces-bid-dvorskys-iowa-senate-seat/973866001/}}</ref> Wahls traveled between New Jersey and Iowa City during his Iowa Senate campaign, changing his residence from Iowa City to [[Coralville, Iowa|Coralville]] immediately prior to announcing his bid for the Iowa Senate.<ref name="davis" /> He received his master's degree in public affairs from Princeton on June 5, 2018<ref>{{cite web|date=June 5, 2018|title=The Two Hundred Seventy-First Commencement|url=http://www.princeton.edu/mediakits/2018/graduation/documents/PU-Commencement-2018.pdf|publisher=[[Princeton University]]}}</ref> – the same day he won the primary election.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/teen-zach-wahls-spoke-marriage-equality-now-iowas/story?id=55682775|title=As a teen, Zach Wahls once spoke out for marriage equality. He could now become one of Iowa's youngest state lawmakers|work=[[ABC News]]|first=Benjamin|last=Siu|date=June 6, 2018}}</ref> He won the general election on November 6<ref>{{cite news|url=https://dailyiowan.com/2018/11/06/win-for-zach-wahls-in-iowa-senate-race|title=Win for Zach Wahls in Iowa Senate race|first=Andy|last=Mitchell|date=November 6, 2018|work=[[The Daily Iowan]]}}</ref> and was sworn in on January 14, 2019.<ref name="sworn-in">{{cite news |title=Zach Wahls sworn into Iowa Senate |url=https://www.northscottpress.com/wdadvocatenews/stories/zach-wahls-sworn-into-iowa-senate,60640 |access-date=January 19, 2019 |work=[[Wilton, Iowa#Media|Wilton-Durant Advocate News]]|date=January 16, 2019 |language=en}}</ref> |
Wahls announced on December 21, 2017, that he would run in the [[Iowa elections, 2018|2018 election]] for [[Iowa Senate, District 37|Iowa Senate district 37]]. A member of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]], Wahls stated that he would focus on the issues of [[health care in the United States|healthcare]], [[education in the United States|education]], and [[United States labor law|workers' rights]].<ref name="davis">{{cite news|last=Davis|first=Andy|date=December 21, 2017|title=Zach Wahls announces bid for Dvorsky's Iowa Senate seat|work=[[Iowa City Press-Citizen]]|url=http://www.press-citizen.com/story/news/local/2017/12/21/zach-wahls-announces-bid-dvorskys-iowa-senate-seat/973866001/}}</ref> Wahls traveled between New Jersey and Iowa City during his Iowa Senate campaign, changing his residence from Iowa City to [[Coralville, Iowa|Coralville]] immediately prior to announcing his bid for the Iowa Senate.<ref name="davis" /> He received his master's degree in public affairs from Princeton on June 5, 2018<ref>{{cite web|date=June 5, 2018|title=The Two Hundred Seventy-First Commencement|url=http://www.princeton.edu/mediakits/2018/graduation/documents/PU-Commencement-2018.pdf|publisher=[[Princeton University]]}}</ref> – the same day he won the primary election.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/teen-zach-wahls-spoke-marriage-equality-now-iowas/story?id=55682775|title=As a teen, Zach Wahls once spoke out for marriage equality. He could now become one of Iowa's youngest state lawmakers|work=[[ABC News]]|first=Benjamin|last=Siu|date=June 6, 2018}}</ref> He won the general election on November 6<ref>{{cite news|url=https://dailyiowan.com/2018/11/06/win-for-zach-wahls-in-iowa-senate-race|title=Win for Zach Wahls in Iowa Senate race|first=Andy|last=Mitchell|date=November 6, 2018|work=[[The Daily Iowan]]}}</ref> and was sworn in on January 14, 2019.<ref name="sworn-in">{{cite news |title=Zach Wahls sworn into Iowa Senate |url=https://www.northscottpress.com/wdadvocatenews/stories/zach-wahls-sworn-into-iowa-senate,60640 |access-date=January 19, 2019 |work=[[Wilton, Iowa#Media|Wilton-Durant Advocate News]]|date=January 16, 2019 |language=en}}</ref> |
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Wahls was elected by his Democratic colleagues to be Senate minority leader for the 2021 session after [[Janet Petersen]] retired as leader.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Lynch|first=James Q.|title=First-term legislator Zach Wahls to lead Iowa Senate Democrats|url=https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/zach-wahls-iowa-senate-democrat-minority-leader-20201115|access-date=2020-11-15|website=The Gazette|language=en}}</ref> |
Wahls was elected by his Democratic colleagues to be Senate minority leader for the 2021 session after [[Janet Petersen]] retired as leader.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Lynch|first=James Q.|title=First-term legislator Zach Wahls to lead Iowa Senate Democrats|url=https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/zach-wahls-iowa-senate-democrat-minority-leader-20201115|access-date=2020-11-15|website=The Gazette|language=en}}</ref> He stepped down as Senate Minority Leader on June 7, 2023, following disagreement with Senate Democratic colleagues over firing two long-time Iowa Senate Democrat staff members.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://iowastartingline.com/2023/06/07/senate-democrats-remove-wahls-as-leader-after-staffing-dispute/ | title=Senate Democrats Remove Wahls as Leader After Staffing Dispute - Iowa Starting Line | date=8 June 2023 }}</ref> |
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==Personal life== |
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In 2019, Wahls announced his engagement to Journalist Chloe Angyal.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Calvin |first1=Aaron |title=After storybook romance, Iowa Sen. Zach Wahls and journalist Chloe Angyal announce their engagement |url=https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2019/07/26/zach-wahls-engagement-chloe-angyal-johnson-county-gay-marriage-iowa-state-senate-legislature/1829217001/ |work=The Des Moines Register}}</ref> Angyal wrote an article in 2011 for the blog [[Feministing]] entitled "Marry Me, Zach Wahls" <ref>{{cite web |last1=Angyal |first1=Chloe |title=Marry me, Zach Wahls |url=http://feministing.com/2011/02/03/marry-me-zach-wahls/ |website=Feministing |date=3 February 2011}}</ref> which led to the two meeting and later starting a relationship. |
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On January 2, 2024, Wahls and Angyal announced they are expecting their first child in April.<ref>{{cite web |title=Threads |url=https://www.threads.net/@zachwahls/post/C1nQBfaxxbz |website=www.threads.net}}</ref> |
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==Notes== |
==Notes== |
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{{s-par|us-ia-sen}} |
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{{s-bef|before=[[Janet Petersen]]}} |
{{s-bef|before=[[Janet Petersen]]}} |
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{{s-ttl|title=Minority Leader of the [[Iowa Senate]]|years= |
{{s-ttl|title=Minority Leader of the [[Iowa Senate]]|years=2021–2023}} |
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{{s-bef|before=[[Joe Bolkcom]]}} |
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{{s-ttl|title=District 43|years=2023 –present}} |
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{{s-inc}} |
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{{s-bef|before=[[Robert Dvorsky]]}} |
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{{s-ttl|title=District 37|years=2019 –2023}} |
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{{s-end}} |
{{s-end}} |
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{{Current Iowa statewide political officials}} |
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{{U.S. State Senate Floor Leaders}} |
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{{Current Iowa Senators}} |
{{Current Iowa Senators}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
{{Authority control}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wahls, Zach}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wahls, Zach}} |
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[[Category:Living people]] |
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[[Category:1991 births]] |
[[Category:1991 births]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:21st-century American legislators]] |
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[[Category:Activists from Iowa]] |
[[Category:Activists from Iowa]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Activists from Wisconsin]] |
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[[Category:American LGBT rights activists]] |
[[Category:American LGBT rights activists]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:American Unitarian Universalists]] |
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[[Category:Democratic Party Iowa state senators]] |
[[Category:Democratic Party Iowa state senators]] |
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[[Category:Iowa City West High School alumni]] |
[[Category:Iowa City West High School alumni]] |
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[[Category: |
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[[Category:University of Iowa alumni]] |
Zach Wahls
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![]() | |
Democratic Leader of the Iowa Senate | |
In office November 15, 2020 – June 7, 2023 | |
Preceded by | Janet Petersen |
Succeeded by | Pam Jochum |
Member of the Iowa Senate | |
Assumed office January 14, 2019 | |
Preceded by | Robert Dvorsky |
Constituency | 37th district (2019–2023) 43rd district (2023–present) |
Personal details | |
Born | Zacharia Wahls (1991-07-15) July 15, 1991 (age 32) Marshfield, Wisconsin, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Chloe Angyal (m. 2021) |
Relatives | Terry Wahls (mother) |
Education | University of Iowa (BA) Princeton University (MPA) |
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Zacharia Wahls (born July 15, 1991) is an Iowa state senator for the 43rd District, and American LGBTQ+ activist and author.
Zach Wahls is the son of two lesbian women and was conceived using artificial insemination. He was born on July 15, 1991, to his biological mother Terry Wahls, an internal medicine physician.[1][2] He has a younger sister who shares the same sperm donor and parents.[3] Terry met Jackie Reger in 1995 and the two held a commitment ceremony in 1996. Zach spent his childhood in Marshfield, Wisconsin, and moved when he was nine years old to Iowa City, Iowa.[2] He was raised as a Unitarian Universalist and identifies himself as a member of that church.[4]
He has said that having lesbian parents caused occasional problems during his school years when he found it difficult to explain to his peers or found that some of them were forbidden to socialize with him.[2] He was sometimes teased and sometimes bullied because of his parents' relationship.[5] In 2004, as an eighth grader (aged 12/13) and while watching the Republican National Convention on television, he first realized that there was political opposition to the sort of family in which he was raised.[6] In high school, he wrote a series of columns for the school newspaper about being raised by a lesbian couple.[1] He played quarterback on the football team and participated in speech and debate.[7] He graduated from Iowa City West High School in 2009. He entered the University of Iowa that fall, withdrawing shortly thereafter to promote his book, written with the assistance of Bruce Littlefield.
While still a high school senior, following the Iowa Supreme Court decision in Varnum v. Brien that invalidated the state's ban on same-sex marriage, he wrote an op-ed piece in The Des Moines Register in which he advocated a complete separation of marriage from civil unions, calling for legislation "to completely remove government from the marriage process altogether, leaving a religious ceremony to religious institutions, and mak[ing] civil unions, accessible by any two people, including those of the same sex, the norm for legal benefits."[8]
His mothers married in 2009 following the legalization of same-sex marriage in Iowa.[3]
Before withdrawing from the University of Iowa,[9] while a college freshman, Wahls started a small peer tutoring company, Iowa City Learns, that offers tutoring services to junior and high school students.[10][11] At the University of Iowa he was a member of The National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS). He also wrote a weekly column for The Daily Iowan, a daily student newspaper,[12] and studied for a time in India.[7]
He was, in his own words, "not much of an activist" before he went viral in 2011.[13]
On January 31, 2011, Wahls addressed the Iowa House Judiciary Committee in a public hearing on a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage in Iowa.[14] A video of his testimony posted on YouTube went viral.[7][15] It had more than 1.5 million views within two weeks[12] and exceeded 15 million views by April 2012.[16] The Economist described the hearing as "ineffectual conservative political theatre" and noted that "whatever it was Iowa House Republicans were trying to achieve, it certainly wasn't to offer a soapbox to Zach Wahls, a 19-year-old engineering student at the University of Iowa." It introduced the video of Wahls's testimony with the words "This is what it looks like to win an argument."[17][18]
Asked to assess his role in LGBT activism, he said in April 2011: "We've been having this conversation for almost 20 years and the actors are all kinda stale. The kids of gay families bring a new face and a new argument to the table."[2] Though he emphasizes the change in support for LGBT equality from one generation to the next, he has described the problematic attitudes of his peers: "Even my best friends that know and love my parents still toss around 'faggot' and 'gay' like it's not really a big deal. In some ways my generation is real accepting, but we still have this casual homophobia, racism and sexism."[2] On another occasion in May 2012, he explained his identification with the LGBT community:[19]
To be clear, I don't consider myself an ally. I might be [a] straight cisgender man, but in my mind, I am a member of the LGBT community. I know the last thing that anyone wants is to add another letter to the acronym, but we need to make sure as a movement we're making a place for what we call "queer-spawn" to function and to be part of the community. Because even though I'm not gay, I do know what it's like to be hated for who I am. And I do know what it's like to be in the closet, and like every other member of the LGBT community, I did not have a choice in this. I was born into this movement.
Wahls withdrew from the University of Iowa in the fall of 2011, turning his focus to writing a book with Bruce Littlefield, and promoting said book.[20] His book, My Two Moms: Lessons of Love, Strength, and What Makes a Family, published in April 2012, describes the mundane impact of growing up in a household headed by two lesbians, like learning to tie a necktie from Playboy.[1][21] He has served as co-chair for "The Outspoken Generation," the Family Equality Council's national youth advocacy initiative involving the young adult children of LGBT parents.[22][23] The Unitarian Universalist Association of Iowa City gave him its Courage of Love Award in April 2012.[24]
Officials at Canisius College twice canceled appearances by Wahls, one sponsored by the school's gay-straight alliance in April 2012[25] and another sponsored by the College Democrats in March 2013.[26] He spoke there in April 2013 under the auspices of several academic departments, beginning his remarks by reading a statement on Catholic teaching on marriage and parenting as required by the school administration.[27]
In May 2012, he led a group of advocates for LGBT causes in lobbying Congress in support of several pieces of legislation, including the Healthy Families Act, which would allow same-sex partners the same hospital visitation rights as married different-sex couples, and met with Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley.[28]
AnEagle Scout, Wahls targeted the Boy Scouts of America's (BSA) ban on gays and lesbians as scout leaders. On May 30, 2012, at the Boy Scouts' National Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida, wearing his Boy Scout uniform, he delivered petitions with 275,000 signatures in support of equality in scouts. Jennifer Tyrrell, from Bridgeport, Ohio, who was forced to resign as a den mother because she is a lesbian, then met with two of the organization's board members. He told MSNBC's Thomas Roberts that the signatures included many current and former scouts and scout leaders because "there is tremendous support within the boy scout movement already to change this policy and bring it up to date in the 21st century." He reported that his own mothers had no problem when they participated in his boy scout activities,[29][30] and even when one of his mothers became a den mother and the other served as interim pack leader.[21] In June, as co-founder of the initiative, he launched Scouts for Equality to lobby for a change in the BSA's policies.[31] The organization was dissolved on December 31, 2020 by the Board of Directors' unanimous vote.[32]
In September, Wahls delivered a speech at the 2012 Democratic National Convention in which he thanked President Obama for "put[ting] his political future on the line" in supporting same-sex marriage.[33]
Wahls completed his degree at the University of Iowa in May 2016 and enrolled in the Princeton School of Public and International AffairsatPrinceton University. He was a delegate for Hillary Clinton at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.[34]
Wahls announced on December 21, 2017, that he would run in the 2018 election for Iowa Senate district 37. A member of the Democratic Party, Wahls stated that he would focus on the issues of healthcare, education, and workers' rights.[35] Wahls traveled between New Jersey and Iowa City during his Iowa Senate campaign, changing his residence from Iowa City to Coralville immediately prior to announcing his bid for the Iowa Senate.[35] He received his master's degree in public affairs from Princeton on June 5, 2018[36] – the same day he won the primary election.[37] He won the general election on November 6[38] and was sworn in on January 14, 2019.[39]
Wahls was elected by his Democratic colleagues to be Senate minority leader for the 2021 session after Janet Petersen retired as leader.[40] He stepped down as Senate Minority Leader on June 7, 2023, following disagreement with Senate Democratic colleagues over firing two long-time Iowa Senate Democrat staff members.[41]
In 2019, Wahls announced his engagement to Journalist Chloe Angyal.[42] Angyal wrote an article in 2011 for the blog Feministing entitled "Marry Me, Zach Wahls" [43] which led to the two meeting and later starting a relationship.
On January 2, 2024, Wahls and Angyal announced they are expecting their first child in April.[44]
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