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The Visionary Behind Initiative 416
By Doug Patton
April 6, 2004

In 2000, Guyla Mills had already served for several years as the executive director of the Nebraska Family Council, a statewide organization committed to preserving the traditional family in an increasingly hostile public policy environment.

When few others were willing to lobby the Nebraska Legislature on behalf of the burning social issues of the day, Guyla was always there. She defended the victims of abortion (mothers and babies). She was always an advocate for neglected and abused children. She pointed out the folly of no-fault divorce, legalized gambling and lax enforcement of drug and alcohol laws. And perhaps most passionately of all, she defended the institution of marriage.

Always uncompromising in her belief that marriage is the union of one man and one woman, Guyla Mills was determined to see that bit of common sense enshrined in the Nebraska Constitution. Armed with her faith in God and the people of Nebraska, in the spring of 2000 she initiated a petition drive to put the toughest Defense of Marriage Amendment in the country on the ballot statewide - and Initiative 416 was born.

Because of her political savvy and her grasp of the language, Guyla understood that the amendment had to protect marriage from legal counterfeits as well as from an outright change in definition. Therefore, she insisted that the language be written as follows:

"Only marriage between a man and a woman shall be valid or recognized in Nebraska. The uniting of two persons of the same sex in a civil union, domestic partnership, or other similar same-sex relationship shall not be valid or recognized in Nebraska."

The incensed homosexual special rights lobby generated a predictable level of malicious vitriol, most of it aimed directly at Guyla Mills. In an avalanche of lies, she was falsely accused of exactly what her opponents were spewing forth: hatred. It was a slanderous personal attack that is still being used by the ACLU and others in their ongoing legal challenge to the amendment's constitutionality. But on Election Day 2000, despite the unprecedented assault from the Left, Nebraska voters approved the measure with 71 percent of the vote.

Guyla Mills is one of the least judgmental people I have ever met. She would be the first to tell you that she is a sinner saved by grace, and she has never desired to "cast the first stone." Those of us who know her understand that to accuse her of hatred is like calling Mr. Rogers a serial killer. It is simply absurd, and it is the last refuge - indeed, the only refuge - of anarchists who would tear down our most cherished institutions for the sake of a radical social agenda that has never been endorsed by any civilization in the history of the world.

It is Nebraska's loss that Guyla Mills now resides in Virginia, for she truly was an asset to her native state. There still exists a small cadre of hate-mongers who take her name in vain because she dared to stand in the way of their extremist agenda. And in this era of legal chaos, when right and wrong have little meaning to many of our judges, there are a few people still murmuring that her refusal to compromise with radicals may have left the state with an indefensible legal definition of marriage. Those people need to grow a backbone.

Guyla Mills simply beat the anarchists at their own game - in the court of public opinion. As President Bush and the Congress contemplate a constitutional amendment at the federal level to protect marriage nationwide, they would do well to look at Initiative 416 in the State of Nebraska, and to the vision of a woman with the mind of a military strategist, the soul of a patriot and the heart of a missionary. Those of us who know her best will always be grateful for what she did for Nebraska families while she fought here on our behalf.

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Doug Patton is a freelance columnist who has served as a speechwriter and policy advisor for federal, state and local candidates, elected officials and public policy organizations. His weekly columns are published in newspapers across the country, and on selected Internet web sites, including www.GOPUSA.com, where he serves as the Nebraska Editor. He also writes for Talon News Service (www.TalonNews.com). Readers can e-mail him at dpatton@neonramp.com.

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Note -- The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, views, and/or philosophy of GOPUSA.