Zach Wahls

Zach Wahls is an Eagle Scout, an entrepreneur, a debater, an activist, a brother, and a son. In this book, he talks about the values he was raised on, values that were reinforced by his time in Scouting. Wahls is an impressive young man, and I was fascinated by his parents' intentionality in raising their son to know right from wrong and to be a voice for what he believes in. It's what I hope I'm doing with my two sons.

But none of this is what gained Zach Wahls the publicity that he's recently enjoyed - an appearance on The Daily Show, a slot at the Democratic National Convention. Zach Wahls became famous when his testimony before the Iowa House of Representatives went viral. Zach was speaking out in favor of marriage equality because he was raised by two moms. Zach has since become an activist for LGBT rights, and he argues for marriage equality like the champion debater he is, putting forth logical arguments to support his points.

But it is his personal experience that really sets this book apart. It is clear that Zach's moms, Terry and Jackie, were excellent parents even while dealing with Terry's struggles with MS. They were not able to be legally married for most of Zach's childhood, but as Zach says that didn't stop them from being a family. ". . . the sense of family comes from the commitment we make to each other to work through the hard times so we can enjoy the good ones. It comes from the love that binds us." It did stop them from enjoying the rights of a married couple, however, until in 2009, the Iowa Supreme Court struck down the ban on same-sex marriage.… (more)