"Judge Overturns Iowa Ban on Same-Sex Marriages“ touted the headline in The New York Times (31 Aug 07). It seemed a dream-come-true for gays, and not just in Iowa!
"A Polk county judge on Thursday struck down Iowa’s law banning same-sex marriage and ordered the county recorder to permit gay and lesbian couples to marry. Less than two hours after word of the ruling was publicized, two Des Moines men applied for a marriage license, which was accepted and filed.“ Unbelievable! In America’s heartland!
"The ruling by Judge Robert Hanson concluded that the state’s prohibition on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. He ordered the Polk Copunty recorder to issue marriage licenses to six gay couples who filed a lawsuit.“ The hopes of many made manifest in the realm of World Affairs!
The judge’s reasoning, logical to some, terrifying to others was that "couples, such as plaintiffs, who are otherwise qualified to marry one another may not be denied licenses to marry or certificates of marriage or in any othger way prevented from entering into a civil marriage“ just because both persons comprising such a couple are of the same sex.
" 'This is kind of the American Dream,‘ said a plaintiff. ‚I’m still feeling kind of shaky. It’s pure elation, I just cannot believe it.‘ “ As well he shouldn’t have.
"Polk County is expected to appeal the ruling to the Iowa Supreme Court.“ And, indeed, this is what happened. The issuance of marriage licenses to gay couples was an extremely short-lived occurrence, like the blink of an eye. Everyone woke from the corn-fed dream back to the corn-fed status quo.