Welcome from Senator Matt McCoy

On April 3, 2009, Iowa became the first state in America’s heartland to allow same-sex couples to marry. After a short waiting period for the Supreme Court's ruling to take effect, same-sex couples began to marry in Iowa on April 27, 2009.

Although some found the unanimous decision by Iowa’s Supreme Court surprising, fair-minded Iowan’s took pride in our state’s long tradition of trailblazing trends in equality. In 1839, which was 26 years before the end of the Civil War, the Iowa Supreme Court rejected slavery in a decision that gave slaves their freedom the moment they crossed the Iowa state line. Just a few years later, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled in 1869 that racially segregated “separate but equal” schools had no place in Iowa (85 years before the US Supreme Court issued its ruling in Brown v. Board of Education). And 91 years before the US Supreme Court ruled on the matter, the Iowa Supreme Court in 1873 ruled against racial discrimination in public accommodations. In 1869, when Iowa admitted women to the practice of law, it was the first state in the union to take that step.

The State of Iowa's long history of leading the way for civil rights gives us confidence that Iowa will not take a step backwards. The Iowa Constitution cannot be changed quickly or easily, which is what it would take to strip away the right of same-sex couples to marry here. A Constitutional amendment must be approved by two different two-year general legislative assemblies before it may be put to the people for a vote. As conversations regarding equality continue to take place across our state, we are sure fair-minded Iowans will be able to thwart the efforts of some to explicitly write discrimination into our Constitution. In short, I believe marriage equality is here to stay.

If you are looking for a great place to get married, live and raise a family; a place where people treat their neighbors with respect – you have come to the right place. Welcome to Iowa!

- Senator Matt McCoy
State Senator Matt McCoy is serving his fourth term in the Iowa Senate after serving two terms in the Iowa House of Representatives. He represents Senate District 31, which includes the south and west portions of Des Moines. Mc Coy was the first openly gay member of the Iowa General Assembly. A lifelong Iowan, Matt is an Eagle Scout and the proud parent of his son Jack.