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Iowans Herald, Decry Gay Marriage Ruling

By M. Morris, Newser Staff

Posted Apr 3, 2009 5:15 PM CDT

(Newser) – Gay marriages will begin taking place in Iowa on April 24, the Des Moines Register reports. The state supreme court’s ruling today that prohibiting the unions is unconstitutional applies to Iowans as well as visitors, because the state has no residency laws for marriage. “I’m off the wall,” said a Democratic state senator who is gay. “I’m very pleased to be an Iowan.”

Meanwhile, opponents looked for ways to keep the marriages from going forward, but unless the legislature acts soon—and leaders have said they won’t—they’ll have to wait until 2012. The state senate’s top Republican called on the body to “immediately act to pass a constitutional amendment that protects traditional marriage.” And Gov. Chet Culver, a Democrat, declined to offer an opinion, saying he needed “to thoroughly review this decision.”

[Images (4)]

[Videos (1)]

Trish Varnum, left, and Kate Varnum, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, react after hearing that after the Iowa Supreme Court has legalized same-sex marriage today. (AP Photo)

Laura Fefchak, right, and Nancy Robinson, center, of Urbandale, Iowa, react to today's ruling. (AP Photo)

Jen BarbouRoske, holding daughter Breenna BarbouRoske, smiles while Dawn BarbouRoske, left, reacts after hearing the Iowa Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage today in Des Moines. (AP Photo)

Plaintiffs in a lawsuit that challenged Iowa's ban on gay marriage react after hearing that after the Iowa Supreme Court has legalized same-sex marriage today. (AP Photo)

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On the day the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that gay and lesbian couples cannot be denied to right to marry under state law, the Human Rights Campaign raised the Iowa state flag over its Washington, DC, headquarters. HRC National Field Director Marty Rouse and Regional Field Organizer Terry McGuire discuss the significance of the decision for the national movement for marriage equality. (hrcmedia)

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