Zacharia Wahls (born July 15, 1991) is an Iowa state senator for the 43rd District, and American LGBTQ+ activist and author.

[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.

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.

"[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.

[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.

[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.

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.

[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.

[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.