DES MOINES — Hundreds of Iowa activists voiced their concerns at the state Capitol on Wednesday. Many of them were lobbying legislators for a bill that would create greater equality and against a bill that would promote discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Sen. Ken Veenstra, R-Orange City, introduced a bill that, if passed, would prohibit lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people from adopting children or becoming foster parents in Iowa. Veenstra said the law only affects those who choose to be homosexual.

“Homosexuality is a choice,” he said. “If you choose to be homosexual, you are choosing to break God’s laws.”

Tony Hansen, an LGBT student at the University of Iowa, said he was in complete opposition with Veenstra.

“I am just being who I am,” he said. “Why would anyone choose to be persecuted?”

Matt Russell, graduate student in sociology at Iowa State, said he is nervous about the bill.

“It just says that if you are gay, you are a threat,” he said.

Sen. Amanda Ragan, D-Mason City, said she is disappointed with the introduction of the bill. “Our laws concerning adoption are fine right now,” she said. “Why change them?”

Ragan said she sees a shortage of good adoptive parents in Iowa and believes the bill is counterproductive.

Ryan Wheeler of Cedar Rapids said a lesbian relative of his received National Teacher of the Year a few years ago, but according to this legislation, would not be allowed to adopt or become a foster parent.

“The most qualified person in the country to teach children is not qualified to raise a child? That is obviously not the case,” he said.

Another piece of legislation debated among LGBT activists is a bill, pre-filed by the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, that could add sexual orientation to Iowa’s civil rights laws.

Jeremy Hayes, graduate student in educational leadership and policy studies at Iowa State, said its passage is necessary to promote equality in society. “We’re all equal, but we’re not all given equal opportunities,” he said. “That is not fair in my mind.”

Hayes said there were concerns in the Senate over the wording of the civil rights bill. He said the concerns were good, but were not being addressed.

“The language of the bill talks of homosexuality as a tendency,” he said. “Does that mean a person has to act on those tendencies?”

Joel Taylor, sophomore in political science, said this bill would directly affect him and would have been beneficial in the past.

“Last summer, I was denied a work opportunity because of my sexual orientation,” he said. “This later affected my pay raises even though I was completely trained and qualified to do the work.”

Wheeler said he moved to Iowa because he believes it is a safe place. He said that if this legislation doesn’t pass, he believes the state will no longer be a haven. “It says to me, as an Iowan, ‘we just don’t care,’ ” he said.