Stickybuffalo.com

with this morning’s supreme court ruling, iowa becomes the first non-coastal state to recognize same-sex marriage, one of only three in the nation (after prop 8 ) where gay couples enjoy the same rights as straight couples.

Richard Socarides, a former senior adviser to President Bill Clinton on gay civil rights, said today’s decision could set the stage for other states. Socarides was was a senior political assistant for Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin in the early 1990s.

“I think it’s significant because Iowa is considered a Midwest sate in the mainstream of American thought,” Socarides said. “Unlike states on the coasts, there’s nothing more American than Iowa. As they say during the presidential caucuses, ‘As Iowa goes, so goes the nation.’”

i don’t know about “nothing more american,” but judging from the last two elections we seem to be a pretty good bellwether of mainstream political sentiment. it’s worth remembering that this was a judicial ruling and not a legislative or popular movement; iowans as a whole may not be standing up to demand equality, but at the same time i’ll be surprised if the backlash is as loud or as ugly as it would have been ten or even five years ago. at any rate, it’s heartening to think that equal rights can no longer be considered strictly a new england & san francisco thing. not to mention that our tourism industry could use the boost!

oh yeah, and the “varnum” in “varnum v. brien”? that’s my cousin kate and her now-legally-recognized spouse trish. are we proud of them? just a little.