The Iowa Supreme Court votes to legalize gay marriage.
Wired PR News – The Supreme Court of Iowa voted unanimously to legalize gay marriage on Friday. As reported by the Associated Press (AP), the state became the third in the U.S. to permit the marriage of same sex couples, joining Connecticut and Massachusetts.
As quoted in the AP report, the Supreme Court wrote in their decision, “We are firmly convinced the exclusion of gay and lesbian people from the institution of civil marriage does not substantially further any important governmental objective.” The Court further determined that lawmakers in the state have “excluded a historically disfavored class of persons from a supremely important civil institution without a constitutionally sufficient justification.”
Camilla Taylor, an attorney for gay rights organization Lambda Legal in New York, is quoted as stating of the ruling, “Today, dreams become reality, families are protected and the Iowa Constitution’s promise of equality and fairness has been fulfilled.”
Same sex couples will be able to obtain marriage licenses beginning April 24.
Photo Credit: Wikipedia Salvör Gissurardóttir
