Same-sex marriages begin in Iowa

Congratulations!!!!!

Decorah, Iowa: The seat of the real LGBT revolution

Now, this IS change, when a town as small as Decorah, Iowa, celebrates a ruling legalizing same-sex marriage. Decorah has a population of about 8,200. This link takes you to the Luther College newspaper. The college has 2,500 students and is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Now VERMONT!!!! And why this is more significant than Iowa

I've been in meetings all day and just signed on to see a truly marvelous event: The Vermont Legislature voted to override the governor's veto and legalize same-sex marriage.

This is even more important -- at least from a political point of view -- than last week's Iowa Supreme Court ruling. Vermont marks the first time lawmakers, and not judges, have instituted same-sex marriage. Even more significantly, the Vermont Legislature had to get super majorities to do it.

Four states now allow love to create a marriage. These are Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa and Vermont. The Washington, DC, City Council just voted to recognize marriage in other states, although this could get derailed by Congress.

Here's some of the early comment.

GLAAD rounds up reports from the mainstream media, blogosphere and LGBT organizations.

Marc Ambinder

Opponents of gay marriage have been fearing this very day for years. They're going to have to change the way they respond to the issue because they can no longer argue (only) that courts are imposing gay marriage by fiat.

Also from Ambinder, an interview with Dennis Johnson, the lead co-counsel for the winning side in Iowa.

Andrew Sullivan rounds up reaction.

Rod Dreher, who opposes marriage equality, forsees a politically logical (but for me scary) future:

It is increasingly obvious that the US Supreme Court is going to have to rule on this matter soon. It is an untenable situation for a same-sex couple to be married in Vermont and Massachusetts and Iowa, but not in Texas, Nevada and Montana. I believe SCOTUS will constitutionalize gay marriage, and that being the case, it might be better for my side if it gets done sooner rather than later. If done sooner, there might still be enough backlash left in the American people to get a constitutional amendment passed erecting a high barrier or protection around religious institutions.

John Nichols at The Nation:

Vermont activists proved that it is not just the "activist judges" that social conservatives condemn who are advancing the cause of equality. With sufficient organizing, educating and campaigning, same-sex marriage can win broad political support. Indeed, at the close of the struggle in Vermont, newspapers across the state were editorializing in favor of the legislation and polls showed that 58 percent of Vermonters tended to favor allowing LGBT couples to marry.

Local responses via Green Mountain Daily.

Ellen Anderson:

The bigger part of my internal shakes at the moment comes from the awesome impact of having my common humanity recognized by my government.

AmericaBlog echoes my feelings.

Holy crap. This is huge.

More on Iowa

Cue dancing, singing, cheers, tears ... a unanimous supreme court decision for equality in the MIDWEST? Wow.

Apparently the ruling will take effect in 21 days. Also, as in Massachusetts, it is difficult to amend the Iowa Constitution. The process takes the approval of two sessions of the legislature and a vote of the people. Thus, this ruling cannot be immediately overturned by voters as folks did with Proposition 8 in California.

The office of the county attorney who defended the same-sex marriage ban has said that they will not ask for a rehearing. Meanwhile, legislative leaders in Iowa are praising the ruling and adding:

When all is said and done, we believe the only lasting question about today’s events will be why it took us so long.

Law Dork summarizes the ruling.

Law Dork updates the news and includes links to other takes on the ruling.

Here's the ruling.

Iowa gets same-sex marriage

Knock me over with a feather and pass out the cigars. Iowa becomes the first Midwestern state to declare that equality does matter.

Cross your fingers & say a prayer for marriage equality

Today and tomorrow are big days for those of us looking for equality for our families.

The Vermont House votes on a bill legalizing same-sex marriage today. The Republican governor says he intends to veto the bill, but it has already passed the state Senate with enough votes to overturn a veto. The proposal is expected to pass the House, but the key test will be the number of votes. Will there be enough to override and make this law?

The Iowa Supreme Court will issue its long awaited ruling on marriage equality tomorrow, probably at 8:30 a.m. CDT. If the court rules for equality, Iowa will become the first Midwestern state to allow same-sex couples to marry. If that happens, I see Iowa getting a lot of marriage business from Kansas, Nebraska, et al.

Finally, a warm hug to Sweden, which just legalized same-sex marriage. The new law goes into effect May 1.

Watching NH: Now we'll find out

By Diane Silver

Were the results in Iowa a blip? An oddity of the caucus system? Or, did they signal the birth of a new movement?

In the case of Barack Obama, I suspect that the later is true. Today, though, New Hampshire will help us begin to see what's real and what's just wishful thinking.

Stay tuned.

Lesbians & gays are finally free! Well, maybe, sort of, kind of...

By Diane Silver

Oh, the Internet is buzzing in the aftermath of the Massachusetts gay marriage vote. Kevin Drum is cheerful and positive the gays have won.

Kevin quotes Michael Kinsley who writes at Time Magazine that LGBT folk have carried the day in all areas of rights and fairness, or at least will soon.

Personally, I am pleased and downright delighted at what happened in Massachusetts. I am thrilled that my very own town will soon have a domestic partner registry. I am happy that Iowa just approved a statewide law protecting against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Every other victory we have won is sweet indeed.

But only someone who has never had to live as a lesbian, gay man or bisexual could possibly believe that we're free. We aren't even close to being free, or equal under the law or even to being treated fairly. Oh yes, society is changing, but our families and our children still suffer.

Our children can still taken from us for no other reason than the fact that we are lesbian or gay. We can still be fired from our jobs in almost every city and state in the country for no other reason than our sexual orientation.

And there is no state in the nation -- not even Massachusetts -- where we have equal rights with heterosexual couples. Even legally married lesbians and gays in the Bay State do not have the more than 1,000 federal benefits that heterosexual couples take for granted.

So yup, I am happy at what has happened and at all we are accomplishing. But it's not enough, and the fight for basic human decency and fairness, the fight to be treated as if this country actually believed in the Golden Rule, is just beginning.