Gay marriage celebrated its fourth
anniversary in Iowa on Wednesday.
In was on April 3, 2009 that the Iowa
Supreme Court handed down its unanimous Varnum v. Brien
decision which brought marriage equality to the Midwest.
The following year, angry social
conservatives successfully campaigned to oust three judges from the
bench. The Republican-led House in 2011 approved a constitutional
amendment which would define marriage as a heterosexual union, but
Democrats have blocked the measure in the Senate.
Approximately 6,000 gay and lesbian
couples have tied the knot In Iowa.
Donna Red Wing, executive director of
One Iowa, applauded the milestone.
“Iowa is a better place because of
marriage equality,” she
said in a press release. “For four years now, gay and lesbian
couples have been able to stand up in front of friends and family and
make that lifelong commitment to one another and to have that
commitment recognized by their state. To hear those words 'by the
power vested in me by the state of Iowa' is powerful.”
Massachusetts will celebrate nine years
of marriage equality next month.