Iowa's 2,000 gay marriages mostly from nonresidents
Iowa became the first Midwestern state to allow gay marriage after the state Supreme Court ruled unanimously that an Iowa ban on such marriages was unconstitutional.
Justin Uebelhor, a spokesman for the gay-rights group One Iowa, said he wasn't surprised to see that so many of the gay couples were from other states. Many of them had Iowa ties and wanted to get married at home, he said. Others lived in nearby states. "We've seen a lot of folks excited about being able to get married in a Midwestern state," he said.
Uebelhor expects significant numbers of gay couples to get married in Iowa in the coming months, even after the initial wave of such weddings has concluded. "Most people have not been rushing into it. They're taking their time and taking it very seriously."
