Iowa House District 75 Rep. Eric Palmer, D-Oskaloosa, faced local criticism Thursday as 10 of his constituents and the president of the Iowa Family Policy Center questioned his acceptance of out-of-state campaign contributions from well-known gay rights activists.

Palmer in 2007 voted for the Defense of Marriage Act. In March 2008, he voted to keep a resolution that would have amended the Iowa constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman off the House floor for debate and in committee.

Chuck Hurley, president of the Iowa Family Policy Center, during an impromptu meeting at Smokey Row Coffee House Thursday morning, said one-third of Palmer’s campaign contributions this cycle are from individuals trying to prevent the passage of a marriage amendment in Iowa.

“All of these people are tied, in their own words and their own associations; they’re all tied to an activist agenda to promote homosexuality and to redefine marriage,” Hurley said. “They are the leading edge of the movement to redefine marriage.”

Palmer, when confronted by Hurley and his constituents Thursday afternoon, repeated what he has said before — he will only accept legal donations.

“I’m not aware of any illegal donations to my campaign. I do not want illegal donations. I think they’re all legal,” Palmer said. “If you know of any illegal donations to my campaign, please bring them to my attention.”

One woman from Oskaloosa who was in the group pointed out a lot of money was coming from homosexual activists and individuals.

Hurley added all they wanted was a chance for the people to vote on a marriage amendment.

A second woman from Oskaloosa brought up an Eggs and Issues Forum in March where it was her impression Palmer did not want anything to do with the marriage amendment.

“And I got the impression, I was there and I got the impression that you really didn’t care what we believed,” she said. “And now we’re hearing about you taking out-of-state funds to support a position that many of us there at Smokey Row and all of us here, or most of us here, do not support.”

Palmer told her he would listen to her opinion, the opinion of people who donate to his campaign and the opinion of all of his constituents.

“It’s my belief that they believe I will be fair and listen to them,” Palmer said. “And I think that’s why people donate to my campaign.”

Palmer said he was trying to govern from the middle.

“Because you get a donation to your campaign, it doesn’t mean you buy into everything,” Palmer said.

In August, September and October of 2008, Palmer’s campaign accepted $9,370 from 23 different people living in states like California, Florida, New York, Illinois and Massachusetts. One man, William Resnick, of West Hollywood, Calif., a founding member of the Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists and a donor to the Gay and Lesbian Center and a member of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund “Victory Club” felt compelled to donate at least four times for a total of $2,100.