Gay Marriage in Middle America

Today the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that gay marriage is consistent and required by that state's constitution.  This is the first time that such a ruling has come not from the "elite" coasts, but from the midwest.  

Iowa is arguably the most American of states, with a fairly contested national election, an agrarian economy, and generally sensible people.  When a state like this upholds same sex marriage, it is a sign that the dam may well have broke.

And that's a good thing.

Additionally, unlike the disastrous Prop 8 in California, Iowa's constitution is very difficult to amend.  At the very earliest, a vote could come in 2012.  By that time it is unlikely that a majority of people would approve a ban on same sex marriage.  In the 3 years between now and then, there is likely to be a lot of educational campaigns on what is really at stake, and the more people learn about the issues, the less supportive they would be of a ban.

I've argued many times in the past that in order for this country to take equality seriously, we need to stop regulating marriage.  Interracial marriage used to be illegal, and now, while definitely not a majority of marriages, it is completely acceptable.  

Now, of course there will be a campaign in Iowa of religious nutjobs who say "Jesus wasn't gay."  To that, I say, he surrounded himself with men and wasn't married but what do I know?  All joking aside, any Christian who refers to the old testament to say that homosexuality is a sin should rethink most of their daily lives, since upholding the rules of the old testament would turn a Catholic into a Jew, at least via dietary habits.

Nate Silver predicts that by 2012, half of the states in the country would have a majority of people seeking gay marriage, and I'd say that by 2020 (if not earlier) the US Supreme Court will rule in that way as well.