Famous kid who fought for his lesbian moms right to marry just won his Iowa primary

Look! A viral video did something good!
 By 
Heather Dockray
 on 
Famous kid who fought for his lesbian moms right to marry just won his Iowa primary
Zach Wahls making us cry at the Democratic National Convention in 2012. Credit: street lecka/Getty Images

Seven years ago, 19-year-old Zach Wahls made internet magic when he spoke before the Iowa House of Representatives and defended his lesbian mothers' right to marriage.

Fast forward to 2018. On Tuesday night, Wahls won the Democratic nomination for Iowa Senate District 37, earning close to 60% of the vote.

CARD ID: 357077


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Wahls, who will be running for a seat typically occupied by Democrats, is considered the favorite to win the general election. He's running against libertarian Carl Krambeck, who ran unopposed.

The candidate came of age back when viral videos were really, really good -- when Twitter was divided between emotional pleas on behalf of same-sex marriage and cats on roombas.

Wahls' video cleared over 3 million views. He was an engineering student at the University of Iowa at the time he gave the speech.

"In my 19 years, not once have I ever been confronted by an individual who realized independently that I was raised by a gay couple," Wahls said in his speech. "And you know why? Because the sexual orientation of my parents has had zero affect on the content of my character."

Wahls, a former Boy Scout, has since become an LGBTQ activist and advocate, though he identifies as straight. He will be one of the youngest people ever to serve in the Iowa Senate.

So the next time you people want to mock cheesy emotional viral videos, just remember this moment. Every once in a while this internet hell hole produces something good.

CARD ID: 357086

Topics Activism LGBTQ

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Heather Dockray

Heather was the Web Trends reporter at Mashable NYC. Prior to joining Mashable, Heather wrote regularly for UPROXX and GOOD Magazine, was published in The Daily Dot and VICE, and had her work featured in Entertainment Weekly, Jezebel, Mic, and Gawker. She loves small terrible dogs and responsible driving. Follow her on Twitter @wear_a_helmet.

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