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Ban on gay marriage invalid
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The Des Moines Register
8/30/2007
"...District Judge Robert Hanson, citing what he said is the inherent unfairness of an Iowa law that says that 'only a marriage between a male and a female is valid,' ordered the Polk County recorder on Thursday to begin applying state marriage rules 'in a gender neutral manner so as to permit same-sex couples to enter into a civil marriage.'
"...Camila Taylor, a lawyer for Lambda Legal, a gay-civil-rights organization that backed the lawsuit, said the judge's decision amounts to recognition that 'gay and lesbian couples and their children deserve equal treatment from their governments just as any other couple.'
"...Taylor said the ruling, if it eventually is upheld by the Iowa Supreme Court, would join Iowa with Massachusetts as the only states allowing same-sex marriages. Four other states - California, Connecticut, New Jersey and Vermont - allow civil unions. Hawaii, Maine and the District of Columbia also provide some form of legal protection for gay spouses."