Iowa county recorders began processing
marriage licenses for gay and lesbian couples this morning, and the
first gay nuptials might take place as early as today; it's all up to
the judges.
Iowa imposes a three-day waiting period
before a marriage can take place, but a judge may elect to waive the
requirement, leaving the possibility that vows between gay couples
might be exchanged as early as today.
Gay marriage foes say they will
continue to attempt to disrupt gay and lesbian marriages from taking
place in Iowa.
One woman, Gloria Villanueva, is urging
people to go to their local courthouse today for a prayer rally.
Villanueva says she disagrees with the court's unanimous decision and
is organizing the prayer service to have her voice heard.
A second effort to disrupt gay nuptials
asks county recorders to deny marriage licenses to gay and lesbian
couples and break the law. At least one lawmaker, Senator Merlin
Bartz, a Republican from Grafton, is facing possible ethics charges
for abetting the illegal action.
“I'm not urging county recorders to
ignore the law,” he told reporters. “I'm urging them to exercise
their conscience and if they have a wish to invoke that, they have
just as much of a right to invoke that as a county attorney does.”
The threatened disruptions were having
little affect on gay marriage advocates, who were clearly elated at
adding another state in their corner.
“While some have threatened to
disrupt this historic day, any who attempt to do so can hardly carry
the 'pro-family' banner,” Steve Ralls, director of communications
for Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), told
On Top Magazine. “The sun still rises each day in states
where lesbian and gay couples now enjoy the right to wed, and the only
change that will take place in Iowa, like those other states, is that
more people will now be able to protect their families.”
Iowa is the third state behind
Massachusetts and Connecticut to legalize gay marriage; Vermont is the
fourth. Gay marriages begin in September in the Green Mountain
State.