In Iowa, an historic day for gay couples
April 27, 2009 will be an historic day for gay couples in Iowa. It will mark the first day Iowa counties will begin accepting applications for same-sex marriages. The Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law predicts that as many as 2,900 same-sex couples will marry in Iowa within three years.
The Institute also predicts as many as 55,000 gay couples will travel to Iowa to marry legally over the same three year period.
At 8:00 AM county recorders in the state will open. As a requirement of marrying, couples will need to bring a witness that is at least 18. They’ll also need photographic identification and a completed marriage license application. The cost for a license and certificate will be $35 and an additional $5 will be required for the judge to waive the three day waiting period.
A Senator from Grafton, Merlin Bartz, said that he urges county recorders that do not agree with same-sex marriages to refuse to follow the ruling. He’s also pushing for a “conscience clause” to be added to the state law so that any recorder that opposes the same-same pairings can legally do so. The state, however, has already said that any state recorder that fails to honor the law and issue licenses to any qualified individual may be fired.