This weekend marks the one year anniversary of marriage equality in Iowa. The Omaha World-Herald has published a report on the number of gay and lesbians who have taken the plunge since then. It's less than expected, which by one prediction, would have been 57,640 couples in three years.
"In the first seven months of marriages for gay and lesbian couples,
1,783 same-sex marriages were recorded with the state, according to the
Iowa Department of Public Health."
"The true number could be
larger. Iowa does not require marriage license applicants to designate
their sex on the forms that are filed with the state. About 900 married
couples who filed certificates with the state from April 27 through
Dec. 31 did not fill in that optional part of the application, said
Jill France, chief of the Iowa Bureau of Health Statistics.
"The true number could be larger. Iowa does not require marriage license
applicants to designate their sex on the forms that are filed with the
state."
Meanwhile, Rod Roberts, a GOP candidate for governor who believes marriage is between one man and one woman, wants to give the people of Iowa the chance to vote on gay marriage. Says Roberts: “It's clear people want to weigh in on that discussion, and they should.”
Unfortunately for him, some recent polling says otherwise.