Iowa gay marriage ruling spurs activists

[WillParkinson]

Iowa gay marriage ruling spurs activists


(Des Moines, Iowa) Gay couples will likely be getting married soon in Iowa, and activists on both sides of the issue claim the sight of same-sex unions in the nation’s heartland will spur other states to take action.

What’s less clear is whether the action taken will result in legislation to legalize gay marriage or constitutional amendments to outlaw it.

Supporters and opponents of gay marriage said Saturday they were energized by the Iowa Supreme Court’s forceful and unanimous ruling Friday that a state law limiting marriage to a man and a woman violates the constitutional rights of equal protection. The ruling opens the door for gays and lesbians to exchange vows in Iowa as soon as April 24.

“It really adds to momentum in favor of the freedom to marry already under way, but now going to a higher level,” said Evan Wolfson, executive director of Freedom to Marry, a New York City-based group working to win marriage equality nationwide.

Illinois state Rep. Greg Harris agreed that the Iowa decision shows the “the values of basic fairness are spreading from state to state.”

http://www.365gay.com/news/iowa-gay-marriage-ruling-spurs-activists/

[Athelwulf]

1. The "battlefield" is limited

What’s less clear is whether the action taken will result in legislation to legalize gay marriage or constitutional amendments to outlaw it.

The field has really narrowed in this regard. Lots of states have written inequality into their constitutions, so for the opponents of equality the battle is won (for now), and for the supporters it's all uphill. Only 15 states haven't amended their constitutions to explicitly ban same-sex marriage yet: Hawaii, Washington, Wyoming, New Mexico, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, North Carolina, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. These states are the ones to watch in the immediate future.