Iowa Supreme Court Decision Allows Same-Sex Marriage
03 Apr 09 12:00 AM CDT
On April 3, the Iowa Supreme Court handed down a unanimous decision with a significant impact towards bringing about full marriage equality. Iowa has joined Massachusetts and Connecticut in recognizing same gender loving marriage and upholding the rights of those who wish to marry, regardless of sexual orientation. The Court said that marriage was a "supremely important civil institution" and that Gays and Lesbians should have the right to marry. The court concluded "to decide otherwise would be an abdication of our Constitutional duty."
In Varnum vs. Brien, the decision sends a loud and distinct message from Iowa to the rest of the country that same-sex marriage belongs as part of the progress the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community has made in the United States.
"Iowa has a strong tradition of protecting individual freedom and civil rights. We are not at all surprised that the State which launched President Obama's election campaign has joined the ranks of states that recognize the fundamental dignity of the lives of lesbian and gay Americans," said H. Alexander Robinson, Executive Director and CEO of the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC).
NBJC founder Mandy Carter worked in Iowa advocating for the freedom of all Iowans to marry whomever they choose. "We all worked very hard to challenge the voices of intolerance in Iowa and we won! I am excited by this decision, which secures equality for Iowans, " Carter said. "My experience in Iowa was positive and encouraging; this decision reinforced the fact that Iowa's courts have taken necessary measures to ensure fairness and equality for all committed couples."
Click here to read a summary, or click here to read the full court opinion.
NBJC would like to recognize Lambda Legal for filing this lawsuit on behalf of six same-sex couples seeking the right to marry in Iowa. The couples in this case have been together between five and over 16 years. Three of the couples are raising children, others are planning families, and all want the responsibilities of marriage and the protections only marriage can provide.
Statement from Byron Williams, NBJC Religious Advisory Committee Co-Chair:
As chair of the NBJC Religious Advisory Committee, I applaud the Iowa Supreme Court’s ruling today that ruled in favor of same-gender marriage. Today, we witnessed the cascading waters of justice restore hope in the parched souls of countless numbers of same-gender couples. This ruling restores my belief in de Tocqueville’s “Tyranny of the Majority,” because the court, through a dispassionate examination, embraced the principles that are the bedrock of the Constitution and the Declaration Of Independence: There are no exceptions to equal protection under the law.
It is my prayer that the California Supreme Court will follow the progressive stand taken by the Iowa Supreme Court in its upcoming ruling on Proposition 8.
