Zach Wahls speaks for marriage equality
Zach Wahls speaks for marriage equality 02:43

Washington (CNN)Zach Wahls, an activist for LGBTQ rights who rose to prominence for a viral speech defending marriage equality and his same-sex parents, claimed victory in the Democratic primary for an Iowa Senate seat on Tuesday.

In 2011, Wahls made an emotional appeal to Iowa lawmakers as the Legislature weighed the possibility of a constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage.

“My family really isn’t so different from yours,” he said at the time, telling lawmakers he was raised by two women. A video of that speech has been viewed