Big news from home today---Iowa's supreme court unanimously upheld a lower court's ruling that said restricting marriage to one man and one woman violates the state constitution, making Iowa only the third state in the nation to make the privilege of marriage an equal right for all it's citizens! Normally, I'm ridiculously proud of my home state, but today...wow. Awesome.
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It shouldn't be surprising, really, as Iowa has a long history of being a leader in civil rights:
--Iowa's first supreme court ruling, in 1839, effectively outlawed slavery---17 years before the United States Supreme Court ruling in the Dred Scott case upheld the institution.
--The University of Iowa was the first public University in the nation to admit men and women on an equal basis, in 1855.
--Iowa first took on segregation in 1868, making it illegal to refuse admission to school based on race--almost 100 years before Brown vs. Board of Education in 1954!
--In 1869, Iowa became the first state in the union to allow women to practice law. 3 years later, the United States Supreme Court upheld an Illinois law banning women from the practice.
--In 1873, Iowa made it illegal to refuse services based on "color, nationality, religion, or condition in life"...way ahead of the anti-segregation laws of the 1960s.
I could go on here...(Tinker vs. Des Moines School Board, anyone?)...but the point is this: the great state of Iowa has once again shown that compassion, understanding, and equality are due to every person, no matter what--not just the majority. Equal rights are for everyone. Here's hoping the decision spreads, like wild fire...
Also, since Iowa has no residency requirement for marriage, Aunt Nancy had better be ready for some extra tourists. All of Chelsea is starting to make plans...it's going to be quiet in NYC this summer!
--the groom
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