U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, one of only a handful of openly gay members of Congress, cheered Friday’s ruling by the Iowa Supreme Court striking down a ban on same-sex marriage.
In a statement to The Colorado Independent, the Boulder Democrat said:
“I am thrilled by today’s unanimous ruling on same-sex marriage by the Iowa Supreme Court. If it can happen in Iowa, it can happen anywhere. Hopefully, this is just the beginning of more progress to come.”
Polis’ statement is less reserved than one issued by one of his colleagues, Iowa Democrat Bruce Braley, who “urged calm” in light of the ruling, The Iowa Independent notes:
“While Iowans will disagree over today’s historic Supreme Court ruling, it’s important to remember that we’re all neighbors. The Court unanimously found that gay couples are entitled to equal protection under the Iowa Constitution. This ruling marks a big change in how our state defines marriage, which is both unsettling to many Iowans and welcome to many others. Either way, we must come together as Iowans to resolve our differences on this divisive issue and ensure that no Iowan is discriminated against because of race, creed, sex, or sexual orientation.”
Iowa is the fourth state to legalize gay marriage — the others are Massachusetts, Connecticut and California, whose high court’s decision was reversed by voters last fall.
Read all the breaking news coverage on the same-sex marriage decision by the Iowa Supreme Court at our sister site The Iowa Independent.
