Six years ago on April 3, 2009, the Iowa Supreme Court made history with a unanimous decision granting the freedom to marry to gay and lesbian couples across the state. Iowa was the third state in the nation to embrace marriage equality. Since then, over 6,000 same-sex families have sought out Iowa as a marriage destination, acting both as a major tourism boom and a message of hope to the rest of the nation.It was announced on a Friday morning. I distinctly remember being at the gym when it was announced. I must have had the day off, because I cannot remember being at work that day. It was a day of celebration and planning, as several long-term gay couples like myself and Husband Mark immediately began debating whether we wanted to line up later that month at the courthouse or if we wanted to wait a bit.
We chose the latter.
Congratulations Iowa!