Gay Marriage Laws in Iowa

In Iowa, gay marriage is legally recognized as of April, 2009. While there are many that favor the gay marriage pros rather than focusing on the cons, many other states still fail to legally recognize gay marriage. Iowa is similar to other states because it had originally adopted DOMA. The Defense of Marriage Act was enacted to protect the sanctity of marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

However, the state did vote down a constitutional amendment that would have banned same sex marriages in the state. In fact, the constitutional Amendment would have disallowed any legal recognition of same sex relationships. Gay marriage pros include the legal recognition of relationships and the benefits associated with marriage.


In Iowa, gay marriage was forbidden from being recognized due to the language in the Defense of Marriage Act. In fact, many states choose this route because they only legally recognize marriages between opposite sex couples due to the nature of the language in DOMA. However, the constitutional amendment that sought to ban gay marriage was struck down because it violated the constitutional rights of members of the LGBT community.

Once marriage was decided to be a constitutional right, Iowa had to begin to legally recognize same sex marriage. One gay marriage pro is that it offers an equal opportunity for all citizens to marry and enjoy the benefits of a legally recognized marriage. In Iowa, gay marriages allow every individual the right to benefits that one can only acquire through marriage.


In Iowa, gay marriage was legally recognized for a brief period in 2007.In fact, several marriage licenses were issued and two same sex weddings took place. However, a stay was issued and a hold was put on the legal recognition of same sex marriages. Many individuals were outraged and the event sparked a debate about gay marriage pros.

Later, there was a lawsuit that argued that the ruling violated constitutional rights and the state legally recognized same sex marriages. In fact, Iowa currently recognizes same sex marriages that were performed in another state.


In Iowa, it is understood that the state saves millions by allowing gay marriages. Pro gay marriage advocates believe that the revenue form same sex marriages will help to balance the states budget. In Iowa, gay marriages are currently recognized and citizens can enjoy all the rights and responsibilities associated with marriage.