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17 gay couples bus to Iowa, marry, go back to Missouri
Iowa City, Ia. - Friday was a long, busy day for 17 gay and lesbian couples from Missouri.
They were awake by 4 a.m., hopped on a bus to Iowa City around 6 a.m., said "I do" in the afternoon and were unmarried by the time they returned home Friday evening.
The couples took advantage of the Iowa Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage in the Hawkeye State. But, back home in Missouri, where a constitutional amendment defines marriage as only between a man and a woman, their Iowa certificates documenting a legal bond carries little weight.
"We knew when we get back there our legal status will be the same as it was," said Julie Brueggemann, 35, of St. Louis. "Hopefully, one day in the not too distant future, Missouri will be as open as Iowa is."
The Unitarian Universalist Society in Iowa City hosted the 17 weddings. Each couple, one by one, stood before a minister, said vows, were pronounced wed and kissed.
"It's a unique experience. How many other people can say they got married with 16 other couples?" said Kim Coleman, 32, of Florissant, Mo. She and Kimberly Banks-Brown, 38, have been together for five years. "But, it's a logistical nightmare."
Eighty gay and lesbian couples applied for marriage licenses this week in Johnson County. That included 19 from outside Iowa, Recorder Kim Painter said.
Same-sex marriage became legal Monday. The Iowa Supreme Court's April 3 decision declaring a ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional went into effect on Monday.
Many Iowa counties reported same-sex couples from out of state applied for marriage licenses.
On Monday and Tuesday, Scott County processed 12 same-sex marriage applications from Illinois and one from Tennessee. From Monday to Wednesday, Pottawattamie County had 42 same-sex marriage applications, including one mailed from Oklahoma.
In Polk County, five of 95 same-sex couples seeking licenses from Monday to Wednesday were from out of state.
State Rep. Jeff Kaufmann, R-Tipton, who supports a public vote to define marriage but not a residency requirement for marriage, said an influx of people from out of state could turn the issue from a state into a federal matter and open the door for an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
"This was and is a predictable outcome of the Supreme Court ruling," Kaufmann said. "I don't think anyone is surprised. But if we become an exporter of gay and lesbian marriage licenses, I think we will see a potential challenge at the (U.S.) Supreme Court level. You can't appeal this now because it is just a state issue."
In Iowa City on Friday, there were no protests at the church. It was an emotional day of celebration for the 17 couples that were part of an entourage of about 50 people that came from Missouri for the day. Many of the couples already have had commitment ceremonies of some form, but many said the legal documents, even if they will not be recognized in their home state, are an important sign of affirmation.
Lawrence Miskel, 30, persuaded his partner, Matthew Ryan Barker, 33, to come to Iowa from St. Louis before lawmakers took the right to marry away from out-of-staters, he said. They donned black tuxedos - many others were far more casual - to celebrate their marriage.
"It's an emotional day," Miskel said. "It's an important day."
Article by Des Moines Register
They were awake by 4 a.m., hopped on a bus to Iowa City around 6 a.m., said "I do" in the afternoon and were unmarried by the time they returned home Friday evening.
The couples took advantage of the Iowa Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage in the Hawkeye State. But, back home in Missouri, where a constitutional amendment defines marriage as only between a man and a woman, their Iowa certificates documenting a legal bond carries little weight.
"We knew when we get back there our legal status will be the same as it was," said Julie Brueggemann, 35, of St. Louis. "Hopefully, one day in the not too distant future, Missouri will be as open as Iowa is."
The Unitarian Universalist Society in Iowa City hosted the 17 weddings. Each couple, one by one, stood before a minister, said vows, were pronounced wed and kissed.
"It's a unique experience. How many other people can say they got married with 16 other couples?" said Kim Coleman, 32, of Florissant, Mo. She and Kimberly Banks-Brown, 38, have been together for five years. "But, it's a logistical nightmare."
Eighty gay and lesbian couples applied for marriage licenses this week in Johnson County. That included 19 from outside Iowa, Recorder Kim Painter said.
Same-sex marriage became legal Monday. The Iowa Supreme Court's April 3 decision declaring a ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional went into effect on Monday.
Many Iowa counties reported same-sex couples from out of state applied for marriage licenses.
On Monday and Tuesday, Scott County processed 12 same-sex marriage applications from Illinois and one from Tennessee. From Monday to Wednesday, Pottawattamie County had 42 same-sex marriage applications, including one mailed from Oklahoma.
In Polk County, five of 95 same-sex couples seeking licenses from Monday to Wednesday were from out of state.
State Rep. Jeff Kaufmann, R-Tipton, who supports a public vote to define marriage but not a residency requirement for marriage, said an influx of people from out of state could turn the issue from a state into a federal matter and open the door for an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
"This was and is a predictable outcome of the Supreme Court ruling," Kaufmann said. "I don't think anyone is surprised. But if we become an exporter of gay and lesbian marriage licenses, I think we will see a potential challenge at the (U.S.) Supreme Court level. You can't appeal this now because it is just a state issue."
In Iowa City on Friday, there were no protests at the church. It was an emotional day of celebration for the 17 couples that were part of an entourage of about 50 people that came from Missouri for the day. Many of the couples already have had commitment ceremonies of some form, but many said the legal documents, even if they will not be recognized in their home state, are an important sign of affirmation.
Lawrence Miskel, 30, persuaded his partner, Matthew Ryan Barker, 33, to come to Iowa from St. Louis before lawmakers took the right to marry away from out-of-staters, he said. They donned black tuxedos - many others were far more casual - to celebrate their marriage.
"It's an emotional day," Miskel said. "It's an important day."
Article by Des Moines Register
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Posted on 02 May 2009 by admin
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