Iowa Supreme Court Overturns Ban on Marriage for Same-Sex Couples

This morning we learned that Iowa’s Supreme Court unanimously decided to strike down the state’s ban on same-sex marriage. This is an exciting day for our community and a major step forward in the national movement towards marriage equality.

Lambda Legal and One Iowa have worked tirelessly in the Hawkeye State over the past several years leading up to this decision. We congratulate them on this huge victory and thank them for their commitment to winning equality and working towards justice for LGBT people in Iowa.

We released the following statement shortly after the Iowa Supreme Court announced its decision:

Statement by Empire State Pride Agenda Executive Director Alan Van Capelle

April 3, 2009--“We are thrilled that the Iowa Supreme Court has done the right thing and ended discrimination against thousands of loving, committed same-sex couples by allowing them access to the literally hundreds of protections that come with marriage. We are happy that another state has joined Massachusetts and Connecticut in declaring that nothing short of full marriage equality will put an end to the hardships that many of our families experience on a daily basis.

New Yorkers can now go to yet another state, get a marriage license that will be recognized as legal and valid here at home and have access to the vast majority of the 1,324 rights and responsibilities New York provides with it. We believe, however, that our families should not have to leave New York to get married; we should be able to get married here at home with our families and friends around us.

Governor Paterson, the New York State Assembly and a majority of New Yorkers agree that it is time to do this. So too do both of our U.S. Senators, Attorney General Cuomo and Comptroller DiNapoli. The State Senate needs to get on board now with everyone else and pass marriage equality legislation this year.”

Click here to read the Court's decision.