Iowa becomes 3rd state where gays can legally wed
Posted on Apr 27, 2009 at 10:30 am
The Associated Press
April 27, 2009
Iowa county clerks will begin processing marriage applications for gay couples Monday. Iowa typically requires a three-day waiting period for marriages, but judges can waive that and allow immediate weddings. (Vermont too has passed the legislation but this will not take effect until September.) [Link]
April 27, 2009
Iowa county clerks will begin processing marriage applications for gay couples Monday. Iowa typically requires a three-day waiting period for marriages, but judges can waive that and allow immediate weddings. (Vermont too has passed the legislation but this will not take effect until September.) [Link]
New Ad: How the Freedom to Marry benefits ALL Iowans
Posted on Apr 22, 2009 at 11:45 am
One Iowa
April 22, 2009
Here's a message from One Iowa about the release of their new advertisement today in preparation for marriages for gay couples starting on Monday:
(Link)
April 22, 2009
Here's a message from One Iowa about the release of their new advertisement today in preparation for marriages for gay couples starting on Monday:
On Friday, April 3 the Iowa Supreme Court unanimously ruled in favor of marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples. Recognizing marriage for caring, committed gay and lesbian couples will continue a long-standing Iowa tradition of protecting all its citizens and treating each Iowan fairly.
We hope this ad will start a conversation with Iowans about the Supreme Court decision, which isn't just about gay and lesbian Iowans-it's about ALL Iowans. We know that marriage strengthens families and, as Iowans, we support committed couples who want to accept the responsibility that comes with marriage.
We invite you to view our ad and participate in a statewide conversation about marriage. Talk to your family, friends, and neighbors. Discuss what marriage means to you.
(Link)
Roundup of recent marriage equality news in Iowa
Posted on Apr 22, 2009 at 11:21 am
Daily Kos
April 21, 2009
desmoinesdem offers extensive updates on developments in Iowa after the state Supreme Court's marriage decision, and various politicians' reactions to the ruling. [Link]
April 21, 2009
desmoinesdem offers extensive updates on developments in Iowa after the state Supreme Court's marriage decision, and various politicians' reactions to the ruling. [Link]
Marriage in the Heartland
Posted on Apr 15, 2009 at 11:15 am
Salon.com
April 15, 2009
Supporters of marriage equality believe it is a civil rights issue, and hope that the courts will enforce existing laws. "It's not that we need a new constitution," said Evan Wolfson, executive director of Freedom to Marry. "We just need a renewed commitment. Properly enforced, the existing equal protection would require equality." So what worked in Iowa and Vermont? Activists and legislators made the issue personal, taking a cue from Harvey Milk, who advocated that people tell their stories. [Link]
April 15, 2009
Supporters of marriage equality believe it is a civil rights issue, and hope that the courts will enforce existing laws. "It's not that we need a new constitution," said Evan Wolfson, executive director of Freedom to Marry. "We just need a renewed commitment. Properly enforced, the existing equal protection would require equality." So what worked in Iowa and Vermont? Activists and legislators made the issue personal, taking a cue from Harvey Milk, who advocated that people tell their stories. [Link]
How Gays Won a Marriage Victory
Posted on Apr 15, 2009 at 10:31 am
The Washington Post
April 15, 2009
The Washington Post interviews advocates from Lambda Legal and other national LGBT groups to discuss recent advances in marriage equality in Iowa, Vermont and D.C., and the future of marriage for gay couples as a national issue. [Link]
April 15, 2009
The Washington Post interviews advocates from Lambda Legal and other national LGBT groups to discuss recent advances in marriage equality in Iowa, Vermont and D.C., and the future of marriage for gay couples as a national issue. [Link]
Another Blow to the Self-Regard of New York
Posted on Apr 13, 2009 at 11:26 am
New York Times
April 9, 2009
"With this week came a new challenge in humility: swallowing their gay pride... Then came the one-two combo in the past week: Iowa and Vermont beat New York to the punch, legalizing gay marriage while supporters in the New York State Senate are still struggling to find enough votes to ensure its passage." [Link]
April 9, 2009
"With this week came a new challenge in humility: swallowing their gay pride... Then came the one-two combo in the past week: Iowa and Vermont beat New York to the punch, legalizing gay marriage while supporters in the New York State Senate are still struggling to find enough votes to ensure its passage." [Link]
Marriage equality: Much-maligned Midwest surprisingly surprising
Posted on Apr 13, 2009 at 10:06 am
Chicago Tribune
April 11, 2009
"Once again, a humble Midwestern state is being laughed at by cosmopolitan snoots on the East and West Coasts. The victim this time, of course, is Iowa, which recently had the gall to legalize gay marriage and attempt to mess up decades of perfectly good Midwestern stereotyping." [Link]
OP-ED: Iowa’s Family Values
Posted on Apr 09, 2009 at 01:49 pm
New York Times
April 8, 2009
Steven W. Thrasher writes, "When the good state of Iowa conferred the dignity of civic recognition on my parents' relationship -- a relationship some members of their own families thought was deviant and immoral, that the civil authorities of Nebraska had tried to destroy, and that even some of my mom's college-educated friends believed would produce children striped like zebras -- our family began. And by the time my father died, their interracial marriage was seen just as a marriage, and an admirable 45-year one at that." [Link]
Iowa, Vermont marriages spark debate in Calif.
Posted on Apr 09, 2009 at 10:10 am
The Associated Press
April 9, 2009
Evan Wolfson said the Iowa ruling has given him new hope in California. "The fact that this decision is so clear and unanimous from the heartland," he said, "is a reminder to the California Supreme Court that the equality in marriage is a civil right whose time has come and whose place is everywhere." [Link]
NY, NJ Marriage Advocates “Embarrassed”
Posted on Apr 08, 2009 at 11:26 am
Gay City News
April 7, 2009
In the wake of Iowa and Vermont legalizing civil marriage equality for same-sex couples just four days apart, leading LGBT advocates in New York and New Jersey expressed frustration that the Legislature in neither state has carried the ball across the goal line -- despite support for the issue from the Senate and Assembly leaders and the governors of both states. [Link]