Judge: Same-sex couples can wed in Iowa

[Shann]

This is awesome! I'm glad Iowa has jumped on board, too bad it's only in Polk county, maybe more will join. :) This is def close to me as I come from prob one of the most liberal cities in Iowa and believe gay/lesbian couples should be allowed to wed. I hope they don't strike it down next week. Seriously, who is this hurting besides the many couples who are not allowed this right b/c they're not "traditional" what the hell is traditional anymore anyways?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070831/ap_on_re_us/same_sex_marriage

DES MOINES, Iowa - A county judge struck down Iowa's decade-old gay marriage ban as unconstitutional Thursday and ordered local officials to process marriage licenses for six gay couples.

Gay couples from anywhere in Iowa could apply for a marriage license from Polk County under Judge Robert Hanson's ruling.

Less than two hours after word of the ruling was publicized, two Des Moines men applied for a license, the first time the county had accepted a same-sex application. The approval process takes three days.

Gary Allen Seronko, 51, was listed as the groom on the form and David Curtis Rethmeier, 29, the bride.

"I started to cry because we so badly want to be able to be protected if something happens to one of us," Rethmeier said.

Deputy Recorder Trish Umthun said she took five calls from gay couples after the judge filed his ruling Thursday afternoon and expected a rush of applications Friday.

County attorney John Sarcone said the county will appeal to the Iowa Supreme Court and immediately sought a stay from Hanson that would prevent gay couples from seeking a marriage license until the appeal is resolved. The Supreme Court could refer the case to the Iowa Court of Appeals, consider the case itself or decide not to hear it.

A hearing is likely to be held on the stay motion next week, said Camilla Taylor, an attorney with Lambda Legal, a New York-based gay rights organization.

House Minority Leader Christopher Rants, R-Sioux City, said the ruling illustrates the need for a state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.

"I can't believe this is happening in Iowa," he said. "I guarantee you there will be a vote on this issue come January," when the Legislature convenes.

Massachusetts is the only state where gay marriage is legal, though nine other states have approved spousal rights in some form for same-sex couples. Nearly all states have defined marriage as being solely between a man and a woman, and 27 states have such wording in their constitutions, according the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Dennis Johnson, the lawyer for the six gay couples who sued in 2005 after they were denied marriage licenses, had argued that Iowa has a long history of aggressively protecting civil rights in cases of race and gender. He said the Defense of Marriage Act, which the Legislature passed in 1998, contradicts previous rulings regarding civil rights.

Roger J. Kuhle, an assistant Polk County attorney, argued that the issue is not for a judge to decide.

Hanson ruled that the state law allowing marriage only between a man and a woman violates the constitutional rights of due process and equal protection.

"Couples, such as plaintiffs, who are otherwise qualified to marry one another may not be denied licenses to marry or certificates of marriage or in any other way prevented from entering into a civil marriage ... by reason of the fact that both person comprising such a couple are of the same sex," he said.

[Starlady01]

Like we don't have enough problems already. How many unwed mom's do we have and or women seeking a husband. Now they give the ok to make it even harder. PLEASE

I guess it is cheaper then having to buy Birth Control. What ever.

[Mini]

I think this is awesiome!!

[ahippiechic]

Like we don't have enough problems already. How many unwed mom's do we have and or women seeking a husband. Now they give the ok to make it even harder. PLEASE

I guess it is cheaper then having to buy Birth Control. What ever.

WTF??The men were gay. No unwed mom or a woman seeking a husband was going to get them anyway.

[freeby4me]

Like we don't have enough problems already. How many unwed mom's do we have and or women seeking a husband. Now they give the ok to make it even harder. PLEASE

I guess it is cheaper then having to buy Birth Control. What ever.

What are you talking about?? Your entire statement makes NO sense. What does unwed moms (ME) have anything to do with gays getting married?

[Starlady01]

I will not and never will advocate gayness in anyway or form.


I know of people who wouldn't be but it's considered cool

I know to many people who have died of AIDS and I want advocate gayness now or ever.


I know someone who is very close to me and she gets mad at me also because I don't agree with her gayness.

I'm like excuse me when you was doing drugs I didn't go out and get a huge sign saying O I know someone who is a druggie so I think it's ok. NO



So why the heck would I go and get a sign because I know someone I love who is gay. Ain't going to happen now or ever.

Aids kills just like drugs kill.

[freeby4me]

I will not and never will advocate gayness in anyway or form.


I know of people who wouldn't be but it's considered cool

I know to many people who have died of AIDS and I want advocate gayness now or ever.


I know someone who is very close to me and she gets mad at me also because I don't agree with her gayness.

I'm like excuse me when you was doing drugs I didn't go out and get a huge sign saying O I know someone who is a druggie so I think it's ok. NO



So why the heck would I go and get a sign because I know someone I love who is gay. Ain't going to happen now or ever.

Aids kills just like drugs kill.

Nevermind, its not worth it.

[dv8grl]

I know to many people who have died of AIDS and I want advocate gayness now or ever. Yup, because only gay people can get AIDS


Nevermind, its not worth it.

totally! I love people who are so against gay people - WHY? Are you sooo insecure with your own sexuality that you secretly want to be gay and you hate yourself & all gay people because of it.. like our friend the Senator from Idaho - I LIKE TO GIVE & GET BJs FROM MEN, BUT I'M NOT GAY!!! Or Jeffrey Dahmer, he hated gays too.....

anyway ----

First gay couple legally married in Iowa
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070831/ap_on_re_us/same_sex_marriage
DES MOINES, Iowa - A minister married two men outside his Iowa home Friday morning, sealing the state's first legal same-sex wedding. Less than 24 hours earlier, a judge had thrown out Iowa's ban on gay marriage.
The Rev. Mark Stringer declared college students Sean Fritz and Tim McQuillan legally wed.

"This is it. We're married. I love you," Fritz told McQuillan after the ceremony on the front lawn of the Unitarian minister's home in Des Moines.

On Thursday, Polk County Judge Robert Hanson ruled that Iowa's 1998 Defense of Marriage Act, which allowed marriage only between a man and a woman, violated the constitutional rights of due process and equal protection of six gay couples who had sued

[Starlady01]

I don't see how anyone can say they were born that way. I know of people who were married for 10 years or more then were conviced they were gay divoiced and are now under mental treatment because of it.

I know of people who are gay and go around telling everybody they see your gay. Excuse me how is this.

I could tell you stories that would curl your toes.

I ain't going there now or ever.

Not only do gay people get aids no.


Don't get me started on how many have been forced or have gone that way and now have huge regrets.

[freeby4me]

Im not sure why you quoted me DV8Girl, I dont have anything against gay people.

[ahippiechic]

Im not sure why you quoted me DV8Girl, I dont have anything against gay people.

I think she was agreeing with your statement about it not being worth it.

Starlady01, you have every right to feel anyway you want about gay people. But you (nor anyone else) has a right to dictate whether they can marry or not.

And bring up that line about unwed mothers and single women?? WTF?? These people are GAY, they like MEN. So the unwed mothers and single women are SOL anyway, even if the law doesn't allow gays to marry.

And I'd like to know where you are from that it is considered "cool' to be gay. All my friends who are into the same sex have HUGE problems because of it.

[dv8grl]

Im not sure why you quoted me DV8Girl, I dont have anything against gay people.

Wasn't quoting u.. i should have quoted with her name - we are on the same page!!! TRUST ME! :dancing:

[Lasher]

ACHOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

ooops sorry hope I didn't spread the AIDS, or the gay.


Some people need to get out of the gene pool.

[ahippiechic]

OMG! Lasher you sneezed me and now I'm gay! Wanna make out??

[Lasher]

OMG! Lasher you sneezed me and now I'm gay! Wanna make out??

Hell yeah, now I'm only one recruit away from that toaster oven

[Tasha405]

OMG! Lasher you sneezed me and now I'm gay! Wanna make out??

Me too, me too!! :itsme:

[Lasher]

Yes, another recruit, world domination is in site.:ridinghorse:

[Tasha405]

Yes, another recruit, world domination is in site.:ridinghorse:

Let's runaway and get married. ;) LOL

[Lasher]

Let's runaway and get married. ;) LOL

Well let's not rush into it, I wouldn't want to ruin the sanctity of Brittany Spears 55 hour marriage, or damage overall 50% divorce rate.

[Tasha405]

Well let's not rush into it, I wouldn't want to ruin the sanctity of Brittany Spears 55 hour marriage, or damage overall 50% divorce rate.

Well hell, at least I tried. :lol

[Tasha405]

Like we don't have enough problems already. How many unwed mom's do we have and or women seeking a husband. Now they give the ok to make it even harder. PLEASE

I guess it is cheaper then having to buy Birth Control. What ever.

How exactly does it make it harder? If the people are gay, they don't want single straight people. Or so I thought. Maybe I'm wrong? :hmmmm:

[Tasha405]

WTF??The men were gay. No unwed mom or a woman seeking a husband was going to get them anyway.

:yeah LOL

[Bahet]

Like we don't have enough problems already. How many unwed mom's do we have and or women seeking a husband. Now they give the ok to make it even harder. PLEASE

I guess it is cheaper then having to buy Birth Control. What ever.


I will not and never will advocate gayness in anyway or form.


I know of people who wouldn't be but it's considered cool

I know to many people who have died of AIDS and I want advocate gayness now or ever.


I know someone who is very close to me and she gets mad at me also because I don't agree with her gayness.

I'm like excuse me when you was doing drugs I didn't go out and get a huge sign saying O I know someone who is a druggie so I think it's ok. NO



So why the heck would I go and get a sign because I know someone I love who is gay. Ain't going to happen now or ever.

Aids kills just like drugs kill.


I don't see how anyone can say they were born that way. I know of people who were married for 10 years or more then were conviced they were gay divoiced and are now under mental treatment because of it.

I know of people who are gay and go around telling everybody they see your gay. Excuse me how is this.

I could tell you stories that would curl your toes.

I ain't going there now or ever.

Not only do gay people get aids no.


Don't get me started on how many have been forced or have gone that way and now have huge regrets.

Are you drunk? You make no sense at all.

If it's about AIDS then become a lesbian, they are the least likely to get it. The 2nd highest at risk group is heterosexual women and the 3rd highest is heterosexual men. Gay men are still most at risk but heterosexual couples are nearly twice as vunerable as injection drug users.


Why do people like this always say "I have a friend who is gay..." No they don't. I wouldn't be friends with someone who hated white women, thought we were mentally unstable, and thought I made the choice to be a white female. Why would I want to be friends with someone who obviously hated me? I wouldn't and neither would a gay person want to be friends with someone who hted everything about them.

My sister is gay. She has a lot of friends. Not one of them is a gay bashing homophobe who thinks she has mental issues because she's gay. She works with a woman like that who has been known to discuss her "gay friend at work" on some message board. My sister found out. She informed the woman that the fact that they weren't hostile towards each other did not mean they were friends.

[ilovecats]

I don't see how anyone can say they were born that way. I know of people who were married for 10 years or more then were conviced they were gay divoiced and are now under mental treatment because of it.

I know of people who are gay and go around telling everybody they see your gay. Excuse me how is this.

I could tell you stories that would curl your toes.

I ain't going there now or ever.

Not only do gay people get aids no.


Don't get me started on how many have been forced or have gone that way and now have huge regrets.

I guess ignorance is bliss.:huh

[Shann]

Oh, how I love the controversial "marriage should be left between a man and a woman" In my opinion obviously the hetero couples aren't doing that great of a job.. I mean 50% divorce rate?!? And who does this hurt for same sex couples to get married? who? I cannot imagine it really hurts the single mothers and unwed women :rolleyes: Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but why should their opinion hurt others? I believe some people need to mind their own damn business!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070831/ap_po/2008_candidates_gay_marriage

DES MOINES, Iowa - An Iowa county judge's ruling knocking down the state's same-sex marriage ban stirred up the presidential race Friday as Republicans jostled to stake out a position with the state's conservative voters in mind.
ADVERTISEMENT

Mitt Romney was the first to seize on the ruling, promptly aligning himself with Iowa political leaders in denouncing the decision.

The former Massachusetts governor's swift criticism served to bolster the conservative image his campaign has been working hard to promote to Iowa's Republican voters. Romney stressed his support for a federal amendment that would ban same-sex marriage, a stand that distinguishes him from his top rivals, who have said they prefer to leave such decisions to the states.

"The ruling in Iowa ... is another example of an activist court and unelected judges trying to redefine marriage and disregard the will of the people as expressed through Iowa's Defense of Marriage Act," Romney said in a statement shortly after the ruling was made. "This once again highlights the need for a Federal Marriage Amendment to protect the traditional definition of marriage as between one man and one woman."

On Friday, Polk County Judge Robert Hanson, who ruled Thursday that the state's decade-old ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional, issued a stay on his own ruling. The stay closed the window for any gay couples seeking to marry in Polk County.

But the decision inflamed an issue that is important to conservative Republicans in this early voting state.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was the only Democrat to offer a reaction. Taping an appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" Friday, Clinton said she favors civil unions "with full equality of benefits." But she said the question of same-sex marriage should be left up to the states.

"The states have always determined age of marriage, other conditions and over time we've gotten rid a lot of discrimination that used to exist in marriage laws," she said. "That's now happening. People are making decisions. Civil unions, marriage. They're deciding in the states and I think that's the appropriate place for that to be."

A spokesman for Democrat Barack Obama said the senator "believes these matters should be left to the states, which is why he opposes the Defense of Marriage Act."

While most Democratic candidates have voiced support for same-sex civil unions, they have declined to back gay marriage, a stance that has created some tension with their gay supporters.

For Republicans, the task was not to offend conservatives.

Republican White House hopeful John McCain called the ruling "a loss for the traditional family."

"I have always supported the traditional definition of marriage as between one man and one woman," he said. "The ruling of the court only reinforces my belief that we must have a president who is committed to appointing strict constructionists to the bench."

Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback, who has worked hard to gain the backing of social conservatives in Iowa, offered a sharp rejection of the judge's ruling.

"The people of Iowa reject the redefinition of marriage, and I pledge today to defend the bond of marriage, as I have consistently done in the past," he said in a statement.

Jarrod Agen, a spokesman for Rudy Giuliani, said simply: "Rudy Giuliani believes marriage is between a man and a woman." Giuliani has supported limited legal recognition for same-sex couples.

Former Sen. Fred Thompson, who will officially enter the presidential race next week, has offered support for a federal amendment that would prevent states without gay marriage laws from having to recognize same-sex marriages from other states.

On Friday, Romney discussed the matter in a private conference call with Iowa House Republican Leader Christopher Rants, who has endorsed Romney, and Kris Mineau, president of the Massachusetts Family Institute, which worked on gay marriage issues in Massachusetts.

Later, campaigning in South Carolina, Romney said he would renew his calls to amend the Constitution to ban same-sex marriage. "That's essential to our future," he said.

While Romney is willing to generally leave it to states to decide how to set up health care coverage plans, he said it shouldn't be left to states to decide same-sex marriage issues.

"It's a status that lasts a lifetime. And so, if somebody is married in one state and they move to another state, that status travels with them. And so, if you have gay marriage in one state, whether you want it or not, you have gay marriage in all states," Romney told reporters after speaking at a Greenville, S.C., restaurant.

Dianne Bystrom, director of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics at Iowa State University, said the ruling could fire up social conservatives.

"It will probably stir up the social conservatives in the state and make the climate better in Iowa for the most socially conservative of the presidential candidates," she said. "That would be most of them, except (Rudy) Giuliani, I guess."

She said Romney can use the issue to dispel any lingering doubts about his commitment to social conservative causes.

"He's very much trying to establish himself with the social conservatives in the state, who even though he won the Republican straw poll, eye him somewhat suspiciously as not being conservative enough because of being governor of Massachusetts, which did allow gay marriages, and he switched his position on reproductive choice," she said.

Dennis Goldford, a political scientist at Drake University in Des Moines, said Giuliani could stress his opposition to same-sex marriage to help reassure some conservatives who find his anti-terrorism stance appealing but reject his past support for some abortion rights.

"It gives Giuliani a chance to play," he said.

[Jolie Rouge]

Iowa gay marriage applications halted
By DAVID PITT, Associated Press Writer
Fri Aug 31, 8:07 PM ET

DES MOINES, Iowa - Same-sex marriage was legal here for less than 24 hours before the county won a stay of a judge's order on Friday, a tiny window of opportunity that allowed two men to make history but left dozens of other couples disappointed after a frantic rush to the altar.


At 2 p.m. Thursday, Judge Robert Hanson ordered Polk County officials to accept marriage license requests from same-sex couples, but he granted the stay at about 12:30 p.m. Friday. By then 27 same-sex couples had filed applications, but only Sean Fritz and Tim McQuillan of Ames had made it official by getting married and returning the signed license to the courthouse in time.

In the front yard of the Rev. Mark Stringer, pastor of the First Unitarian Church of Des Moines, they become the only same-sex couple wed in the U.S. outside of Massachusetts, where some 8,000 such couples have tied the knot.

Stringer concluded the ceremony by saying, "This is a legal document and you are married." The men then kissed and hugged.

"This is it. We're married. I love you," Fritz told McQuillan after the ceremony.

No more same-sex weddings will be recognized, and no more applications will be accepted, pending Polk County's appeal of Hanson's ruling to the Iowa Supreme Court, County Attorney John Sarcone said.

Hanson's order had applied only to the county, but because any Iowa couple could apply for a license, people from across the state rushed to Des Moines, only to see fluorescent green signs explaining the stay and adding, "Sorry for the inconvenience."

Lytishya Borglum and partner, Danielle Borglum, drove 2 1/2 hours from Cedar Falls, along with their 13-month-old daughter, Berlyn. They planned to apply in Polk County and told their pastor in Cedar Falls to be ready to marry them when they returned.

"(We) plan to take the application home and pray that things change. Even though it is a setback, it is a step in the right direction," Lytishya Borglum said.

She said they would like to get legal status to gain more rights but added, "As far as we're concerned, our marriage is between us and God. We've been married for three years — if you ask us."

Accepting marriage licenses from same-sex couples has been illegal under a 1998 state law that permitted only a man and a woman to marry.

Hanson, ruling in a case filed by six same-sex couples who were denied marriage licenses in 2005, declared the law unconstitutional Thursday. He ruled that the marriage laws "must be read and applied in a gender neutral manner so as to permit same-sex couples to enter into a civil marriage."

The marriage license approval process normally takes three business days, but Fritz and McQuillan took advantage of a loophole that allows couples to skip the waiting period if they pay $5 and get a judge to sign a waiver.

Other couples, even those who got an early start Friday, were out of luck. Katy Farlow and Larissa Boeck, students at Iowa State University, said they got to the county recorder's office at 5 a.m., then sat in lawn chairs and ate snacks until the office opened at 7:30 a.m. They got their application in but didn't get their license.

"This might be our only chance," Farlow said. "We already knew we were spending the rest of our lives together."

Hanson granted the stay after Sarcone filed a motion saying his ruling should be put on hold because lifting the ban was far reaching and would likely be overturned by the Iowa Supreme Court.

Hanson wrote that Sarcone's arguments "do indeed constitute good cause for the issuance of the requested stay."

Plaintiff's attorney Dennis Johnson had argued that the county's appeal probably would not succeed and disputed its contention that a reversal would throw any licenses issued into legal doubt.

He said a marriage license is valid until one or both of the spouses seek to have it dissolved or one dies, "regardless of changes in the law that may occur after the couple marries."

The Iowa Supreme Court can refer the case to the Iowa Court of Appeals, consider the matter itself or decide not to hear the case. The flurry of activity in the courts prompted a quick response from some lawmakers. House Republican leader Christopher Rants called on Democrats, who hold a majority of seats in the Legislature, to respond.

"The Democrats should call a special session immediately to take up such issues and to introduce a marriage amendment for Iowa's constitution," he said in a statement. "House Democrats need to start leading or get out of the way."

Language defining marriage as being between a man and a woman has been written into the constitutions of 27 states, according the National Conference of State Legislatures. Most other states have laws to the same effect; Iowa's was approved overwhelmingly by the Legislature in 1998.

Gov. Chet Culver on Thursday issued a statement stating his opposition to gay marriage and said he would wait for the court process to play out before considering any push for legislative action.

"While some Iowans may disagree on this issue, I personally believe marriage is between a man and a woman," Culver said.

Gay marriage is legal in Massachusetts, and nine other states have approved spousal rights in some form for same-sex couples.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070901/ap_on_re_us/same_sex_marriage;_ylt=Aqsw3gObBQ3Rb9RTSrSKtPOs0NU E

[Shann]

well poop:thumpdown:

[ilovecats]

Iowa gay marriage applications halted
By DAVID PITT, Associated Press Writer
Fri Aug 31, 8:07 PM ET

DES MOINES, Iowa - Same-sex marriage was legal here for less than 24 hours before the county won a stay of a judge's order on Friday, a tiny window of opportunity that allowed two men to make history but left dozens of other couples disappointed after a frantic rush to the altar.


At 2 p.m. Thursday, Judge Robert Hanson ordered Polk County officials to accept marriage license requests from same-sex couples, but he granted the stay at about 12:30 p.m. Friday. By then 27 same-sex couples had filed applications, but only Sean Fritz and Tim McQuillan of Ames had made it official by getting married and returning the signed license to the courthouse in time.

In the front yard of the Rev. Mark Stringer, pastor of the First Unitarian Church of Des Moines, they become the only same-sex couple wed in the U.S. outside of Massachusetts, where some 8,000 such couples have tied the knot.

Stringer concluded the ceremony by saying, "This is a legal document and you are married." The men then kissed and hugged.

"This is it. We're married. I love you," Fritz told McQuillan after the ceremony.

No more same-sex weddings will be recognized, and no more applications will be accepted, pending Polk County's appeal of Hanson's ruling to the Iowa Supreme Court, County Attorney John Sarcone said.

Hanson's order had applied only to the county, but because any Iowa couple could apply for a license, people from across the state rushed to Des Moines, only to see fluorescent green signs explaining the stay and adding, "Sorry for the inconvenience."

Lytishya Borglum and partner, Danielle Borglum, drove 2 1/2 hours from Cedar Falls, along with their 13-month-old daughter, Berlyn. They planned to apply in Polk County and told their pastor in Cedar Falls to be ready to marry them when they returned.

"(We) plan to take the application home and pray that things change. Even though it is a setback, it is a step in the right direction," Lytishya Borglum said.

She said they would like to get legal status to gain more rights but added, "As far as we're concerned, our marriage is between us and God. We've been married for three years — if you ask us."

Accepting marriage licenses from same-sex couples has been illegal under a 1998 state law that permitted only a man and a woman to marry.

Hanson, ruling in a case filed by six same-sex couples who were denied marriage licenses in 2005, declared the law unconstitutional Thursday. He ruled that the marriage laws "must be read and applied in a gender neutral manner so as to permit same-sex couples to enter into a civil marriage."

The marriage license approval process normally takes three business days, but Fritz and McQuillan took advantage of a loophole that allows couples to skip the waiting period if they pay $5 and get a judge to sign a waiver.

Other couples, even those who got an early start Friday, were out of luck. Katy Farlow and Larissa Boeck, students at Iowa State University, said they got to the county recorder's office at 5 a.m., then sat in lawn chairs and ate snacks until the office opened at 7:30 a.m. They got their application in but didn't get their license.

"This might be our only chance," Farlow said. "We already knew we were spending the rest of our lives together."

Hanson granted the stay after Sarcone filed a motion saying his ruling should be put on hold because lifting the ban was far reaching and would likely be overturned by the Iowa Supreme Court.

Hanson wrote that Sarcone's arguments "do indeed constitute good cause for the issuance of the requested stay."

Plaintiff's attorney Dennis Johnson had argued that the county's appeal probably would not succeed and disputed its contention that a reversal would throw any licenses issued into legal doubt.

He said a marriage license is valid until one or both of the spouses seek to have it dissolved or one dies, "regardless of changes in the law that may occur after the couple marries."

The Iowa Supreme Court can refer the case to the Iowa Court of Appeals, consider the matter itself or decide not to hear the case. The flurry of activity in the courts prompted a quick response from some lawmakers. House Republican leader Christopher Rants called on Democrats, who hold a majority of seats in the Legislature, to respond.

"The Democrats should call a special session immediately to take up such issues and to introduce a marriage amendment for Iowa's constitution," he said in a statement. "House Democrats need to start leading or get out of the way."

Language defining marriage as being between a man and a woman has been written into the constitutions of 27 states, according the National Conference of State Legislatures. Most other states have laws to the same effect; Iowa's was approved overwhelmingly by the Legislature in 1998.

Gov. Chet Culver on Thursday issued a statement stating his opposition to gay marriage and said he would wait for the court process to play out before considering any push for legislative action.

"While some Iowans may disagree on this issue, I personally believe marriage is between a man and a woman," Culver said.

Gay marriage is legal in Massachusetts, and nine other states have approved spousal rights in some form for same-sex couples.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070901/ap_on_re_us/same_sex_marriage;_ylt=Aqsw3gObBQ3Rb9RTSrSKtPOs0NU E

That is ridiculous!It is legal here,but I think you have to actually live here?Not sure,but I think they don't want everyone rushing over here to get married.I may be mistaken about that though.