The celebration, though loud and impassioned, didn’t last long. (“ Iowa recognizes same-sex marriage but not Oregon or California? What?”) We became the first, and remain the only, state in the heartland to fully recognize same-sex marriage-something that still shocks the more liberal denizens of our coasts.

Brien changed everything Iowa thought it knew about same-sex marriage. Described by conservative groups as a sign of end times and blasted as “judicial extremism,” but heralded by liberal groups as a long overdue recognition of committed, loving relationships, Varnum v. When the Iowa Supreme Court ruled-by unanimous decision-in 2009 that a legislative measure banning same-sex marriage was inconsistent with the Iowa Constitution’s equal protection clause, responses were swift and vigorous. “I’m a sixth-generation Iowan, an engineering student at the University of Iowa, and I was raised by two women.” I would have whistled if my mouth had had any moisture in it. They were filled to the brim with anxious observers wearing red or blue, depending on their stance on the issue of the night: the proposed constitutional amendment to redefine marriage in Iowa.Īs I approached the microphone to testify, I saw for the first time just how many people were in this massive room. The Iowa House chambers were much larger than I remembered them being from my fourth grade Memorial Day visit.

My two moms by zach wahls