Iowa Same Sex Marriage Legal

Gay and lesbian couples flocked to county buildings throughout Iowa April 3 to marry legally for the first time in the wake of the state supreme court’s landmark same-sex marriage decision. The first lesbian couple in Des Moines exchanged their vows outside the Polk County Administration building before a swarm of friends, family and news crews. Shelley Wolfe and Melisa Keeton were the first couple to receive their license in Polk County, shortly after 8 a.m. on April 3. They hurried three blocks to the courthouse, trailed by reporters, and persuaded a district judge to waive the usual three-day waiting period. Gay marriage opponents presented county recorders with petitions urging them not to issue licenses, in the wake of the court decision that ignited a political firestorm. The ruling made Iowa the first Midwestern state and the third nationwide to allow same-sex couples to wed. Protesters showed up in several counties. Prominent anti-gay-marriage activist Chuck Hurley was at the Polk County building but says his group plans no dramatic protests. He says the reason more Iowans who oppose gay marriage aren't making a stand this morning is because they're "probably raising children, going to work,