Word: gayes
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...brand new day here in Iowa since April 3 when we became the nation's third state - and the Midwest's first - to permit same-sex marriage. But during the state's first three weeks of legalized gay marriage (the law went into effect April 27) some things haven't changed. One gay college student I know has gone back into the closet while searching for a teaching job. And public reaction has been mixed to the Iowa Supreme Court's unanimous decision to overturn a state law limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples, a decision hinged on basic fairness...
Despite the sometimes patronizing praise we have suddenly received ("California's cool has been stolen by, of all places, Iowa," wrote one New York pundit), it's not yet clear that Iowa has become the Midwest's gay marriage mecca. During the first week of legal gay marriage here, over 450 gay couples sought licenses, with the most requests in Polk County, followed by Johnson County (which includes the college town of Iowa City), according to a Des Moines Register survey. In Polk County, an initial rush of requests tapered off by the week's end. There have been scattered...
Supporters of the new status quo include a gay Democratic state senator, a reform rabbi, a Unitarian Church leader, a state gay rights advocacy group called One IOWA and Des Moines' mayor. Opponents include a Republican state senator, a Baptist minister, Iowa's Catholic bishops, the conservative Iowa Family Policy Center and a few county recorders (who acknowledge that they must still follow the law and issue licenses to same-sex couples.) Magistrates in at least seven of Iowa's 99 counties have decided this year not to perform any weddings - although most have declined to cite the same...
...Gay marriage could become a hot potato during the 2010 Iowa gubernatorial race when Chet Culver, a Democrat, seeks a second term. One of his likely Republican challengers, who opposes gay marriage, has vowed to make it a key issue. Culver, who has said he believes marriage should be between a man and woman, has reacted in muted fashion to the new law, saying the court's decision must be respected and that he is reluctant to support a constitutional amendment...
...there is a public vote on the issue, Iowans could lose their new-found cool by following Californians, who rejected gay marriage last November. Some recent polls show that most Iowans believe marriage involves one man and one woman, but were willing to allow gays and lesbians to have civil unions...